After Taylor Decker Gets 3-Year, $60 Million Extension, What Will It Mean For The Detroit Lions?

The Detroit Lions continue their busy off-season.

On Monday, general manager Brad Holmes signed offensive tackle Taylor Decker to a three-year extension worth up to $60 million. Roughly half of the contract, $31.83 million, is guaranteed. The Lions selected him with the 16th pick in the 2016 draft out of Ohio State. He has spent his entire career in the Motor City and is the longest-tenured player on the team.

The 30-year-old Decker verbalized what the extension meant in a press conference after practice.

“I’m very fortunate, and I’ve gotten to have some good luck along the way, but there was also a lot that went into it,” he said. “Sacrifices from myself and from those around me, so it feels good. It just feels special to be able to stay here and be with my friends and get to work with people that I care about and that I love.”

After Detroit reached the NFC championship game last year, Holmes made it his mission to lock down the core that got the team there. Quarterback Jared Goff signed a four-year, $212 million extension in early May, and wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown received a four-year, $120 million deal two weeks before. Decker’s fellow tackle, Penei Sewell, also earned $112 million in April, and the two will be bookends on the offensive line for years to come.

Decker has been a part of countless losses during his 112 starts, but the Lions are on the upswing. After reaching their first NFC title game since 1992, Hard Rock Bet gives Detroit the second-best odds to win the conference at +550, trailing only the 49ers. Holmes added to his roster in free agency and the draft, selecting two corners from the SEC with their first two picks and signing defensive tackle DJ Reader to a two-year $27.5 million deal. The new pieces should sure up a defense that allowed 19th in total defense.