On Tuesday, Detroit Lions general manager Brad Holmes took the podium at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis to field questions from reporters and writers from across the NFL. While Holmes addressed a variety of topics, he began by discussing the status of left tackle Taylor Decker and the possibility of his retirement this offseason.
“Obviously, Taylor, he’s earned the right to have as much space as he needs to reflect on a long season, and we respect him; we give him that,” Holmes told the media. “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.”
While the Combine is underway, and on-field drills take place from Thursday through Sunday, it’s just a week after this event concludes that the next begins. The NFL free agency tampering period is set to begin on Monday, March 9, at noon EST, with the official start of the NFL New Year kicking off on Wednesday, March 11, at 4 pm EST.
With the Lions needing to have a firm grasp of their upcoming positional needs and available salary cap space by the start of the new year, Decker’s status is an important component they need to fully understand. Currently, Decker is set to count for roughly $21 million against the salary cap, but if he retires, the Lions will free up $11.6 million in new cap space and may need to utilize those extra funds to find Decker’s replacement in free agency or the NFL Draft.
While the Lions, nor Decker, will be obligated to address this topic ahead of free agency, we hope to also gain clarification soon.
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