Taylor Decker requests release from Detroit Lions in stunning turn
· Yahoo Sports
The Detroit Lions will need a new left tackle after all.
Taylor Decker, the team's longest-tenured player, wrote in a social media post Friday, March 6, on Instagram, that he has requested his release from the team after 10 seasons.
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Decker's post comes a little over a week after he wrote he intended to return for an 11th NFL season in 2026.
"Things change," Decker wrote "145 games started, 3 playoff appearances, 2 division titles, a decade carrying the shield. I fully intended to do it once again, but my time as a Lion is coming to an aned.
"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. Therefore I decided to request my release."
Decker first disclosed to the Free Press he was considering retirement for family and health reasons in December and said after the season he might take a couple months to decide his future.
Last week, he posted a picture on Instagram of him running out of the tunnel at Ford Field in a black Lions uniform, with the caption: “'Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? And I said, 'Here am I; SEND ME!' #Year11"
Asked about Decker's future shortly before the post, Lions general manager Brad Holmes said, "Obviously Taylor, he’s earned the right to have as much space as he needs to reflect on a long season and we respect him, we give him that. But obviously with the start of the new league year coming, that’s obviously you want as much clarity as possible, so within these next couple of weeks we’ll make sure that we have that clarity."
The Lions now enter the free-agent negotiating period next week with multiple needs on the offensive line, including at left tackle - though All-Pro right tackle Penei Sewell could move to the position - and center.
Decker, who turns 33 in August, has been a fixture at left tackle for the Lions since they took him with their first-round pick, No. 16 overall, in the 2016 draft.
He's started 140 games over the past 10 seasons but has dealt with a variety of injuries throughout his career. Last year, Decker missed three games with a shoulder injury and played the rest of the year through nagging pain that he said made it difficult to do everyday things like pick up his kids and grab a cup off a shelf.
"Ideally, I would play. I would continue to play,” Decker told the Free Press in December. “But I just need to sit and evaluate, and … this is not a decision that I want to make now or kind of consider right now, cause it would be an emotional decision. 'Cause like I said, right now, this has not been a fun year. But I know if I remove those variables that have made it unfun, I still enjoy playing football. And I think I'm playing really well."
The Lions currently have three other tackles on their roster for 2026, All-Pro right tackle Penei Sewell and backups Gio Manu and Devin Cochran.
They are expected to be in the market for help on the interior line in free agency after struggling to replace Frank Ragnow after his retirement last year and following the release of Graham Glasgow in a cost-cutting move this week.
Dave Birkett covers the Lions for the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at [email protected]. Follow him on Bluesky, X and Instagram at @davebirkett.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Taylor Decker requests release from Detroit Lions in stunning turn