Lions' Taylor Decker makes surprising career announcement

Roughly two weeks after announcing his plans to play another season, offensive lineman Taylor Decker revealed he will be doing so with a new team.

Decker announced on Instagram Friday that he requested his release from the Detroit Lions after the two teams failed to agree on a restructured contract. Decker indicated that he had not expected contract talks to be a problem, and that he was “opting for a clean and amicable close to what has been such a beautiful 10 years going to war as a Lion.”

"In the weeks since notifying the team of my return there have been numerous discussions. Many of which were a surprise to me, and we could not find common ground," Decker wrote. "Therefore I decided to request my release."

Decker’s abrupt exit is an unwelcome surprise for the Lions. He had announced in February that he would be back in 2026 after flirting with retirement, which seemingly saved the team from having to fill a huge void at left tackle. Now they are back at square one and will have to find a new starting tackle after all.

Decker, 32, had been a mainstay for Detroit since 2016, becoming an anchor on the team’s offensive line and was named to the Pro Bowl in 2024. He would have been due $18.2M in 2026.