BOMBSHELL: Detroit Lions’ Taylor Decker Seeks RELEASE—How Will Team RESPOND?

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All right, Taylor Decker and the Lions divorced.

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Welcome in everybody on a Friday edition of Locked On Lions.

Locked On Podcast Network, the number one sports podcast network.

Matt Terry with you on a Friday, March 6th, and a freaking weekend.

In Saturday, March the 7th, we are just three days from NFL free agency.

And there's a free agent left tackle available.

Taylor Decker has told the Lions pay cut, pay smut.

I'm out, release me.

We've got the very latest on Taylor Decker's 10 years and out in Detroit.

Coming up momentarily here on Locked On Lions.

I want to talk about how this affects the Lions culture.

I want to talk about possible replacements at tackle for decor at left tackle.

That includes the Lions right tackle.

We got to prepare you for Monday.

Free agency is coming Monday at noon.

All of that today right here on a Friday edition of Locked On Lions.

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All right, so today the bombshell dropped on Instagram from Lions left tackle.

Veteran and team captain Taylor Decker, who announced on his IG on the Graham.

On his social media, that he is requested to be released by the Lions quote from Decker.

Things change.

145 games started three playoff appearances, two 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 end.

In the weeks since notifying the team of my return, there have been numerous discussions,

many of which were surprised to me and we could not find common ground.

Therefore, I decided to request my release.

I'm opting for a clean and amicable close to what has been such a beautiful 10 years

going to war as a lion.

So in the absolute privilege of my life to be your left tackle for the past 10 years,

and I'm forever grateful for the opportunity the Ford family and the Lions organization

afforded me end quote.

That is from Taylor Decker, Taylor Decker is a really good football player and it's had

a really, really good career with the Detroit Lions.

This is a sad way that this has to end.

But according to Dave Burkett, and look, Burke could report it anybody, it's pretty obvious

what happened here.

Dan Campbell and Brad Holmes spoke at the combine two weeks ago and Dan Campbell said, regardless

of what Taylor Decker's decision is, whether he comes back or not, we need to draft a tackle.

We need to go get some depth to tackle.

We're going to need somebody else because we love Taylor Decker, but the injuries have

piled up and whatever happens, we've got to be prepared either way.

Dan Campbell has been so transparent as his team's head coach and so inviting.

And he basically said with them or without him next year, we're going to need help at

that spot.

All right.

So the Lions were putting it out there that they weren't just going to bring Taylor Decker

back and let him sit there at left tackle for 17 games again.

That was not an option.

Decker then hours after Campbell and Holmes speak, he announces on his social media, I'm

coming back year 11, and we put it out there on this very podcast right here on Lockdown

Lions.

We're with you every single day Monday through Friday.

What if the Lions don't want to pay him?

The near $15 million that he's owed.

What if they don't want to have a $21 million cap hit on Taylor Decker this year?

Could you imagine the Lions going, Oh, Decker, awesome.

You want back in?

You're gone.

I don't think they do that.

So what did they do?

The Lions went to Taylor Decker and asked him to take a pay cut and told him you cannot

count this much against the cap.

We need some space.

You don't want to be paying you what you were owed.

And Taylor Decker's like, no, all right now if the Lions grant him his release, they'll

clear up $11.6 million in cap space and they'll eat nearly nine and a half million in

dead cap.

He was making this season his salary was 15 million plus a $1.5 million bonus and up

to nearly two million in in game per game bonuses.

So a cap hit of $21 million.

So the Lions are moving on from Taylor Decker, but it was his doing.

And to be honest with you, it was the both sides doing, but the Lions did not, I'm not

going to sit here and tell you that the Lions wanted him gone 100%.

Because Taylor Decker is a really good football player, but this is, they were not going

to be paying him what they, he was owed this year.

And he wasn't taking a pay cut and his Decker set himself numerous discussions, conversations

that went on and unfortunately they could not come to terms.

So he's asking the team to let him go.

So now two years ago, we were looking at a Lions offensive line that it was, that was

chock full of veterans and really good players two years ago, you can go back three years

if you want to the NFC championship game, Taylor Decker, Graham Glasgow, Frank Ragnar, Kevin

Zitler was two years ago, Jonah Jackson, the year before that, and Penae Soule, who was

the youngest of the bunch, but the best of the bunch.

You had veterans, you had reliable players all on the most important spot on your team,

the offensive line, you could win a lot of games there and the Lions did and you could

lose a lot of games there, which they did this year.

Now Ragnar's retired, Zitler's gone, Jackson's gone, Glasgow's gone, Decker's now gone.

You are left with from the championship team, the NFC championship team, the team that

got to the NFC championship game, you are left with Penae Soule.

And that is it.

And from last year's offensive line, you are left with Penae Soule, Tate Rattledge and

maybe Christian Mahogany.

I think he'll be there.

So I'm not going to sit here and tell you that the Lions are a better team today without

him.

Taylor Decker was solid as a rock left hand.

He never had to worry.

Richard Goss, blindside was usually taken care of and this was a guy in Decker this year

that played through some significant, significant injuries.

His shoulder was so bad, he didn't even really practice during the week, most of the season.

Yet there he was, each and every game, each and every Sunday out on the football field

playing for your team.

I think he missed one game this year, one or two.

Are you ready to put Giovanni Manu at left tackle?

I'm not a but Miles Frazier was a better at tackle than a guard in college.

It's a possibility that Penae Soule could be your left tackle this year.

And let's, let's get that out of the way right now.

Your left tackle in 2026 is Penae Soule, period, end of story, Penae Soule left tackle.

Put it in the Louvre, put it in a sharp E pen.

He's your best football player.

The most important position on that O line is usually your left tackle.

Soule has shown he's been such a dominant right tackle and Decker has been the left

tackle there for 10 years.

You haven't had any, any, any reason to change.

Now Decker's asking his first, for his release, I'm assuming the lines are going to give

it to him.

And you got to put Penae Soule at left tackle.

That leaves right tackle wide ass open Miles Frazier play there, maybe it's Gio Manu

ready to take the next step.

I say no, but who knows?

The lines are going to have to draft a tackle.

They're going to have to sign a free agent tackle.

They're going to have to add to that room.

We already knew they were going to have to add to that room.

But now we're talking about Decker being gone.

I want to talk about some of the tackles that are out there in free agency that maybe

the lines would look at.

But coming up next, I want to talk about a small culture hit that is taking place here

with the Detroit lines.

I'm not saying it's the end of the world.

I'm not telling you the lines are done and the windows closing.

Not saying that at all.

But we got to call it out for what it is.

In the last week, two of your veteran leaders have said, get me out of here.

That's a fact.

Lockdown lines on a Friday.

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Here we go.

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Welcome back in Matt Terry with you locked on lines locked on podcast, not where the number

one sports podcast network today is a Friday and we're talking about Taylor Decker.

Big deck out after 10 years in Detroit, asking the lions for his release.

One thing that Dan Campbell, Brad Holmes, Sheila Ford Ham, everybody that's been associated

with this team.

Chris Spielman.

Heck, even 222, Rodwood Drive.

What's the one thing that we could say about this franchise over the last four years?

They've had winning records and everybody is happy.

People want to be there.

The lions have become a free agent destiny.

The lions have become a place where where players want to stay, right?

The lions never, ever in the past could retain as many players as they've retained over

the last few years.

I don't know how to say Brown State, Jared Gawstate, Penaisule State, Elaine McNeill State, Kirby

Joseph State, Taylor Decker originally stayed had signed a second and third contract.

Guys had reupped here and liked it here and the culture has been awesome.

But it's taken a hit the last week and you can't tell me it hasn't in the span of one week.

On Monday, you're number two running back and a guy that is as popular as anybody.

David Montgomery told the lions, I need out.

Get me out of here.

All right.

Now, Montgomery wrote an unbelievable message on Instagram, on his own Instagram and Twitter

and thanked everybody up and down.

But look, he didn't want to be here anymore.

He wants to play.

It has nothing to do with the franchise.

I am not throwing stones at the franchise.

I'm making a point.

This is a fact.

This culture has been unreal.

Nobody's wanted out.

Everybody's wanted to stay.

You've kept the band back together.

But in the last week, two of your veteran leaders, guys that are so respected in that locker

room.

Taylor Decker and David Montgomery have told the franchise, kick rocks.

Get me out of here.

That's a fact.

That's a fact.

So I think the culture takes a small hit here with veteran players that were happy here,

no longer being happy and wanting to move on.

Will the lions replace David Montgomery?

Absolutely, they will.

And maybe Stoney Vocky's the answer.

Maybe they sign a James Conner or something.

He turns out to be really good and takes Montgomery's place and we will applaud your organization.

The lions, of course, are going to have a new right tackle next year.

He might end up being better than Taylor Decker.

That would be great.

But you're talking about replacing a captain, replacing a popular player in that locker room

that is not easy to do.

Not easy to do.

I'm not going to sit until the sky's falling, but I am going to tell you my radar is up

a little bit on culture and it's disappointing to see two veteran leaders wanting to leave.

Montgomery, because he wasn't getting time and touches and opportunities, Decker, because

he wasn't getting the money he thought he was getting.

And the team said, we need you to take a pay cut and he said, I need you to release me.

What a crazy business.

What a sad business sometimes.

This guy's been here for 10 years.

He wanted to play one more year.

And the lions were like, not at that price.

Whether it's fair or unfair, that's the business.

You know, it's a perfectly legitimate business.

It's not legitimate.

It's a business, Cosmo cream.

All right, what tackles could be out there in free agency if, on Monday, the lions wanted

to dip their toe into that pond.

I got a couple of names for you, Rashid Walker, Packer's tackle, unrestricted free agent,

26 year old, played left tackle last year.

The Jets, Elijah Vera Tucker, solid player, played left tackle last year.

I should say two years ago last year, he missed the entire season where they triceps injury.

Braxton Jones is available.

Left tackle for the Bears, 27 years old, has some decent football left in him.

But again, coming off of injuries.

And if Braxton Jones were any good, wouldn't the Bears want to keep him?

A guy that is definitely interesting and played right tackle last year for the Giants is

Jermaine Illuminoir.

If you remember, when the Giants played the Lions this past season, Illuminoir had a really

good game against Aiden Hutchinson, only allowing the one sack, which was at the end of the game.

Fifth round picked from 2017, has started 62 games since 2022.

Was a really good pass blocker this year.

He's ranked as the number 61 overall free agent in this class, according to Yahoo Sports.

And Braden Smith, reliable, right tackle, a big guy with the Colts.

Played eight years with the Colts, 105 started, 105's, but has been injured over the last seasons.

And also has OCD that he's been battling.

So it's not a great group, I'm not sitting there going, oh yeah, I love me.

Or she'd walk her or Eliza Vera, Eliza Vera Tucker's not bad.

Illuminoir is decent, all right, but I don't think any of them are as good as Taylor Decker.

But again, we're moving at least in my world.

We're moving Penae Sule over from right tackle left tackle.

That's just, that's just a fact.

And again, look, the Lions don't have to get their right tackle on Monday.

They don't have to.

But they've got to add some depth, some competition.

And then in the draft, they've got to take somebody pretty early on, either in the first or second round.

We're already sitting here talking about Tate Ratlage, a second round picked from this past year, possibly moving from guard to center.

You're going to have a brand spanking new offensive line now.

Sule and, if it's Sule and Mahogany and Ratlage, that would be a left side that has some familiarity with each other.

But you would then need a right guard and you would need a right tackle.

And that's where the Lions were so good for so long, really starting in 2023.

2024, 2020, no, 2022, 2023 and 2024, they dominated with Frank Ragnar and Sule and Decker and they beat people up.

And they won a lot of football games.

9, 12, 15, those three years.

And now they've got work to do.

But patching it together, waiting until day two or three of free agency,

Jedrick Will's competition, I don't want to see that.

There's no way the Lions do that.

There's no way.

Now I'm just being too negative.

They're going to draft a tackle.

They're going to draft a guard.

They're going to sign some better people.

They have to.

They have to.

Right?

They have to.

All right, coming up next.

This is the last show before Monday and Monday is going to be chaos.

Many of you are going to be refreshing your Twitter feeds or wherever you get your social media.

Starting Monday, right at noon, because the Shafters and the Rappaports and the Jeremy Fowlers and the Grazianos and the Garafolos and all these NFL and Jordan Schultz.

They're all coming in hot Monday at noon with so and so is agreeing to terms with so and so.

And my hope is that the Lions are at the front of the line.

Come Monday.

We'll get deeper into that coming up next right here on this day Friday.

I locked on lines.

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All right, here we go.

Monday's the day.

I cannot wait to get on the air on Monday and deliver you a brand new fresh locked on lines.

Again, follow us on all social media platforms.

If anything breaks on Monday, we'll do some quick video reactions on our lockdown lines YouTube channel with the shorts.

I had a quick video today as I was in Birmingham and the news broke about Taylor Decker.

But regardless, here we are, right?

The Lions have holes to fill.

They have holes to fill.

And reports have been out there, including from the Free Press and Debra Kett.

That many agents do not believe that Monday at noon.

It's going to be a Detroit Lions free for all that it's going to be lions are signing Tyler Linderbaum.

Where the Lions are trading for Max Crosby or the Lions are signing Trey Hendricks.

The belief from Dave and others is that Detroit is not going to do something like that.

It could be some solid pickups.

It could be some second tier and third tier free agents.

But it wouldn't necessarily be a breaking of the bank.

Now again, we sit here recording on Friday at 540.

We haven't heard anything about it, Jared Goff.

A restructure of his contract.

And I'm in Rossane Brown, a restructure of free up money, a penny stool.

We anticipate that is going to take place before Monday so that the Lions can clear some cap space.

Minnesota Vikings are dumping every veteran they have to clear cap space.

The Arizona Cardinals today are dumping Dalvin Tomlinson.

They gave $13 or $14 million a year to last year.

A very good nose tackle defensive tackle.

The Chicago Bears touchdown bears.

Tremaine Edmunds the latest gone DJ Moore.

We know traded drew Dolman is retired bears and freed up some cash.

So while we are sitting here Monday and refreshing our Twitter feeds at noon.

I guess I got to put it out there that we've got to prepare for a quiet start to the day.

Because many believe the Lions aren't going to get splashy with us.

I'm hopeful Brad Holmes surprises me a little bit.

I'm not sitting here telling you and there was a report today from Jordan Schultz NFL insider.

Teams are lining up for Max Crosby, but there are teams now that have made their offers.

Made their bids, but now if they don't hear anything by Sunday or Monday,

they're ready to just go into free agency instead.

You know there's a team that is talked to the Raiders about trading for Max Crosby.

But if that team doesn't like their communication or doesn't like the offers or whatever or what the Raiders are asking for,

that team might pivot and go try and get tray Hendrix.

That is certainly a possibility as well.

But as we get ready for Monday, you know, where do we think the Lions are going?

You have to believe that on Monday,

an offensive lineman is going to be signed first and foremost.

Yes, we can talk about the ad job is at a Vaden Hutchinson.

We can talk about siren city.

We can talk about so many different things.

Oh, by the way, gotta give a shout out in the middle of this statement, but I gotta give a shout out.

To one of our everyday listeners, Jeff Swartek.

Jeff, I had lunch today with Jeff's buddy, the great West Matthews,

but Jeff is in Canton.

He's a big locked on lines every day listener.

We appreciate you Jeff for checking this out.

So, here we go.

By the way, Peter Bikowski just texted me.

You want to, you want to, this is just classic Pete.

How long before Decker is a bear?

Shut up, Pete.

Oh, yeah, yeah.

Didn't even think about that.

They're all in the text and Joe, they've got Darnell right at right tackle.

Yeah, that could be a possibility.

It could be a possibility.

We want to think about it.

Anyway, I was in the middle of the thought.

I think the lines are going to get an offensive lineman first.

We've talked about Ed's Russia.

We've talked about adding to the secondary,

offensive line in for agency has to be addressed.

All right folks, can't wait for Monday looking forward to all of you checking us out.

checking us out. Again, locked on lines. We've been here 10 seasons. Appreciate all

of you. Check it us out wherever you get your podcasts on YouTube. Don't forget

our Instagram page, our Facebook page. TikTok. And we're ready. Ready for Monday and

for agency. Have a great weekend everybody. We'll talk to you on Monday.

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