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By Megan Armstrong
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The Detroit Lions are undergoing a changing of the guard.
It's not a full-on rebuild, like a lot of other NFL teams. This has actually been two years in the making. Last January, then-Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn left to become head coach of the New York Jets, and then-offensive coordinator Ben Johnson became head coach of the Chicago Bears. Last June, Pro Bowl center Frank Ragnow retired.
The likes of head coach Dan Campbell, quarterback Jared Goff, running back Jahmyr Gibbs, wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, right tackle Penei Sewell, defensive end Aidan Hutchinson, and defensive back Brian Branch will all return to Detroit in 2026. But a handful of players who played a crucial role in turning around the league's previous punching bag have said goodbye.
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Last week, Pro Bowl left tackle Taylor Decker announced his decision to request a release from the Lions. Decker, 32, was Detroit's longest-tenured player, as the Lions selected him No. 16 overall in the 2016 NFL Draft. Decker's release will become official when the new league year begins on Wednesday at 4 p.m. EST, but the Lions said goodbye to him on Monday.
"Thank you for a decade of grit, Taylor," the Lions' Instagram caption reads. Several Reddit threads are full of Lions fans mourning the news. Decker is the third starting Lions' offensive lineman from 2025 to leave the team. Dan Skipper announced his retirement in January (and joined the coaching staff in February). Last week, Detroit announced that the team would release Graham Glasgow.
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Decker will always be famous in Lions' lore for Week 17 in 2023. The Lions lost to the visiting Dallas Cowboys after their two-point play featuring Decker was controversially negated by an ineligible receiver penalty. Lions fans created electronic billboards in protest.
Outside of the offensive line, the Lions are also on the verge of losing linebacker Alex Anzalone to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, assuming his free-agent deal is finalized at the start of the new league year. Detroit also agreed to trade veteran running back David Montgomery, fondly known as Knuckles, to the Houston Texans last week.
As for Decker, ESPN's Courtney Cronin thinks he could reunite with a familiar face. "The Bears have a need at left tackle. Taylor Decker played under Ben Johnson in Detroit. Hmm," Cronin wrote.
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