How Much Salary Cap Space Could Lions Save If Taylor Decker Retired?

Taylor Decker is facing a tough career decision.

Detroit Lions offensive tackle Taylor Decker (68) gets ready for a play against Philadelphia Eagles during the second half | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Detroit Lions veteran left tackle Taylor Decker is facing a tough career decision, after playing throughout the 2025 season with a shoulder that did not respond as expected to surgery.

The former first-round draft pick is going to take an extensive amount of time to determine if he will require an extensive amount of offseason rehabilitation to be able to play in 2026.

If the decision is made to hang it up and call it a career, the team is no longer on the hook for his $14.9 million salary. He would be owed $9 million in a prorated signing bonus.

Also, a roster bonus of $1.5 million is owed on March 15. If he makes the decision to walk away, that is also coming off the books.

Detroit would end up adding approximately $11.6 million in total salary cap space. Currently, the team has $3.9 million in cap space, according to Spotrac.

General manager Brad Holmes was asked at his season-ending media presser what lessons can be learned from Frank Ragnow’s later retirement that could apply to Decker's situation.

"If it happens again, like I was saying, it’s never been ignored. It’s going to come at some point. As good of let’s call it more veteran offensive line that we’ve had in the past that has been comprised of a lot of good players and at one point four first-round picks, it’s never been ignored," said Holmes. "But also, you just can’t reach and just make a move just to make a move. You can reach for a tackle or just make a move for a tackle and that player’s just not as good enough of a replacement.

"I’m not sure what Decker’s going to decide to do. But that’s - not only will it have to be urgent this offseason, but it’s been urgent in the past. And look, we’ve drafted. With two years ago, we drafted (Giovanni) Manu as more of a developmental guy thinking that he’s going to have some years to take some steps forward," Holmes commented further. "But it would be irresponsible for us to just go into it thinking that, ‘Well, we drafted a developmental player a couple of years ago. He’s going to be the guy.’ I don’t think, I could be wrong, but I don’t think that we’ve ever kind of gone into an offseason with a question mark or a hole and we didn’t attack that position with urgency. But sometimes it just doesn’t work out as well as we want it to.”