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How a 1-on-1 conversation with Dan Campbell led to Taylor Decker's Lions extension
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- How a 1-on-1 conversation with Dan Campbell led to Taylor Decker's Lions extension
A one-on-one conversation with Dan Campbell in the spring led to a contract extension Monday for one of the longest-tenured Detroit Lions .
Left tackle Taylor Decker said he approached his head coach during OTAs this year to have a direct conversation about a potential contract extension with the team. Two months after that conversation, Decker inked his name on a three-year, $60 million contract extension that was announced by general manager Brad Holmes on local radio and by Decker's agent via social media Monday morning.
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"Coming off two surgeries, I think they probably wanted to see how I was moving around a little bit," Decker said Monday after the first practice in pads. "And then in OTAs, I actually went up and had a conversation with Dan. I was like 'Where are we at? I hear things from my agent and from our salary cap people when they are talking and I'm kind of getting secondhand information. I want to hear it. Like just tell me where we are at just so I know. I want the info so it's communicated well.'
"And pretty much what he told me is to a T what happened. I just had to stay patient."
The conversation gave Decker the hope and reassurance that a deal would be coming down the pipe.
"When we communicated man-to-man, it was very amicable and since that conversation I felt it was promising that it was going to happen," Decker said.
Decker, a former first-round pick who has been through it all with the Lions as the team's longest-tenured player dating back to 2016, said he couldn't imagine playing somewhere else and did not have a desire to move to a different team at this stage of his career.
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"This is where I wanted to be. I had pretty much no interest in going to any other team," Decker said. "I wanted to be here, and a big factor of that is the guys I get to play with, and I want to continue to play with them."
Decker is entering his ninth season with the Lions as the blindside protector, starting with quarterback Matthew Stafford , now blocking for quarterback Jared Goff . He plays the most important position on an offensive line that has been among the league's best for the last few years.
Offensive lineman Taylor Decker is greeted by head coach Dan Campbell during the Detroit Lions training camp at their training facility in Allen Park, Mich. on Monday, July 29, 2024.
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He started 15 games and all three postseason games for the Lions in 2023 and did not miss an offensive snap to close the season according to Pro Football Reference after being forced to sit out in Weeks 2 and 3.
A potential holdout for Decker was never on the table this offseason even as he entered the final year of his four-year, $60 million extension signed in 2020. This is the third contract Decker has signed with the Lions and will keep him in the city through 2027.
"That's just not me," Decker said about a potential holdout. "I'm going to show up and I'm going to play because that's what I do and that's what I am here to do. I think it was pretty seamless."
Holmes announced the news at the same time as Monday's practice kicked off in Allen Park on Monday. After the practice was over, his teammates were happy to have their left tackle locked in long-term.
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"I would be super happy for Taylor because he's as good as it gets and has been such a blessing for me throughout my whole career," center Frank Ragnow said about his longtime partner up front.
For (preseason) openers: Giants
Matchup: Lions (12-5 in 2023) at N.Y. Giants (6-11 in 2023), exhibition opener.
Kickoff: 8 p.m. Aug. 8; MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, N.J.
TV/radio: WJBK (Fox 2 in Detroit); WXYT-FM (97.1).
Preseason home opener: Aug. 24 vs. Steelers , Ford Field, NFL Network
Regular-season opener: Sept. 8 vs. Rams , Ford Field, NBC.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: How Taylor Decker got extension he wanted to stay with Detroit Lions
