Lions GM Brad Holmes on Taylor Decker’s future
At the NFL Combine on Tuesday, Brad Holmes talked about Taylor Decker’s timeline for making a decision on playing in 2026.
UPDATE: Taylor Decker is returning to the Lions, he announced via Instagram on Tuesday.
Indianapolis — The Detroit Lions believe Taylor Decker should be given time to look back on the 2025 season and decide whether he wants to sign up for an 11th year in the NFL.
But they also intend to have an answer regarding his potential retirement by the start of the new league, which begins at 4 p.m. on March 11.
“He’s earned the right to have as much space as he needs to reflect on a long season,” Lions GM Brad Holmes said at the NFL Scouting Combine on Tuesday. “We respect him, we give him that. But obviously with the start of the new league year coming, you want as much clarity as possible. So, within these next couple of weeks, we’ll make sure that we have that clarity.”
Decker, the longest-tenured member of the Lions, has openly discussed the possibility of retiring. He’s dealt with a number of injuries throughout his career as Detroit’s starting left tackle. Most recently, a shoulder injury hampered him during the 2025 campaign.
After Detroit’s season finale at the Chicago Bears in January, Decker said he won’t play another season if it requires him to manage his shoulder in a similar manner in which he was forced to in 2025. He said it’s not fair to his wife or children.
Lions coach Dan Campbell has largely left Decker alone since meeting with him at the end of the season. But regardless of Decker’s decision, Campbell believes the Lions must address offensive tackle this offseason, given Decker’s injury history.
“Look, if it’s not (Decker returning), then we’ve got to find a guy. But if it is, we’ve still got to find a guy,” Campbell said. “Because as much as I love Deck, he’s got some things that are going to need some management. That’s kind of where we’re at. One way or another, we’re going to need somebody that can play over there and that can help us if we need them in a crunch or we need them as a starter. That’s important.”
Another offensive lineman with a murky future is Graham Glasgow, who started 14 games at center for the Lions in 2025. Glasgow is still under contract through the 2026 season. Holmes said the team would also like clarity on Glasgow’s future before the new league year, which is when free agency officially opens. Holmes said the Lions are still having dialogue on Glasgow’s future, should he decide to continue his career. The Lions would save about $5.6 million on their salary cap by releasing Glasgow, who will be 34 years old in August.
We’ve talked about the interior of the offensive line, too. That’s important,” Campbell said. “We’ve been digging, we’ve been looking at stuff. But until we can kind of figure a little bit of those pieces out, and then exactly who is going to be available, who are we going to have the ability to potentially go after, how does that affect another position or the depth of the roster. We’re waiting it out here a little bit.”
Asked what position is more difficult to play as a rookie — the Lions have the 17th overall pick in April’s draft, where they could potentially find replacements along their offensive line — Holmes said both center and left tackle have challenges.
“I don’t know if there’s one way (to decide),” Holmes said. “Because you’re talking about the center position with all the information that you have to handle, that’s a big load. But then you talk about the left tackle position, having a right-handed quarterback and protecting a guy’s blindside, that’s the same hurdles and challenges as a man-to-man corner. You’re on an island, and these edge rushers in this league, they’re real dudes that have real stuff in their bodies. So, I would say that they’re equally important.”
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