The Perfect Answer to the Bears Left Tackle Problem Just Hit the Open Market

Taylor Decker is the answer the Bears are looking for at left tackle. The 10-year veteran got released by the Lions today, and a reunion with his former offensive coordinator makes a lot of sense for both parties.

Lions LT Taylor Decker, the team’s longest-tenured player, announced he requested and received his release after contract talks broke down. pic.twitter.com/VGrQvBCCYW
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) March 6, 2026

For context, Decker had previously been considering retirement. However, upon announcing that he intended to return, the team probably asked him to take a pay cut.

Discussions continued from there, and they might've gotten messy based on him mentioning that he was caught off guard by their request. I know that's speculation, but it's hard to interpret Decker's announcement any other way.

#Lions OT Taylor Decker announces that he'll be returning for the 2026 season after contemplating retirement. pic.twitter.com/RR5UhmFIUl
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 24, 2026

Would he be open to coming to Chicago? Maybe not under normal circumstances. He's been a beloved member of their hated division rivals for the past decade, after all.

With that said, considering the circumstances that led to the departure, it almost seems like he'd welcome a reunion. Since Chicago's left tackle situation is completely in flux, I imagine those feelings would be reciprocated.

Ozzy Trapilo performed remarkably well since taking over the starting LT job in Week 12, but he suffered a torn Achilles in the Wild Card matchup against Green Bay. Ryan Poles said that he thinks Trapilo will bounce back strong, but he will also miss most of next season. That's a problem for the Bears, as they can't afford to cut corners when it comes to protecting Caleb Williams blindside.

Signing Decker certainly wouldn't be a corner-cutting move. He's been a thorn in Chicago's side for a long time. He's been a rock-solid starter at left tackle since being selected in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft.

Notably, Bears head coach Ben Johnson was also Detroit's offensive coordinator for three years (and was a member of their coaching staff for four additional years before the promotion) during Decker's time there. He helped him reach the lone Pro Bowl of his career.

Decker not only has a firm grasp of the Bears offense, but he also seems to have a great relationship with his former coach and holds him in extremely high regard.

#Lions LT Taylor Decker has hinted that Sunday might be his last game playing football. He wants to win badly against the #Bears and his ex-coordinator Ben Johnson. pic.twitter.com/IRj5GVCmLr
— Barroom | Aldo Gandia (@BarroomNetwork) January 2, 2026

At 32 years old, he will probably be a relative bargain on the open market. He'll definitely draw some interest for LT-hungry teams, but nobody is going to shell out big money for someone who was contemplating retirement.

The Bears, meanwhile, suddenly have some money to burn. They've cleared up a ton of space following the departures of Drew Dalman, DJ Moore, and Tremaine Edmunds in the past few days.

The release of LB Tremaine Edmunds leaves behind $2.4M of dead cap to the #Bears, clearing $15M of space.

Chicago now boasts an estimated $32M of Top 51 cap space heading toward the league year.
— Spotrac (@spotrac) March 6, 2026

They're in position to make some big moves in free agency, and signing Decker would be a wise one. He also wouldn't factor into the compensatory picks formula since he recently got released, and that could be vital with a few big names of their own set to hit the open market.

Decker would be a great stop gap to hold down the left tackle position for the 2026 NFL season while Trapilo recovers from his torn Achilles.