In an effort to sure up their offensive line, the Detroit Lions are extending one of their most reliable offensive tackles, Taylor Decker. Decker has signed a six-year contract extension worth $85 million. The deal reportedly comes with a guarantee of $37.5 million.
While Decker is definitely not an elite offensive tackle in the league, he has been a steady performer for the Lions when healthy. And most importantly, he has been healthy for the majority of his career thus far, playing in 94% of the team’s offensive snaps in three of his four years in the NFL.
Decker started all 16 games in 2016 and 2018. In 2017, he missed half the season while recovering from an offseason shoulder surgery. The Ohio State-bred offensive lineman is still only 27 years old.
It’s clear that the Lions are doing everything they can to provide protection for their franchise quarterback Mathew Stafford, who has been sacked at least 40 times in each of the last three seasons.
Decker’s job protecting Stafford should be a bit easier this year thanks to the help that he is going to be getting from former Eagles offensive lineman Halapoulivaati Vaitai, who the Lions signed this offseason to a five-year, $50 million deal in free agency.
