Analyst: The Lions may part ways with their $19 million tackle this summer.
Two important offensive players will require the Detroit Lions to make some potentially costly decisions, and one analyst thinks the team’s seasoned tackle might be the one left out.
Ian Valentino of The 33rd Team projected in a mock draft that the Lions may cut tackle Taylor Decker this summer and choose to replace him with one of the best offensive line prospects out of college. As Decker approaches the final year of his deal, the Lions will also need to decide on the contracts of quarterback Jared Goff and wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown. According to Valentino, the team may decide to cut ties with Decker early in order to avoid taking a significant financial hit.
Lions Might Take a Look at BYU Tackle
Due to Decker’s impending $19 million cap hit, Valentin mentioned that there has already been discussion about the Lions parting ways with him. He also mentioned that the BYU tackle Kingsley Suamataia might be a viable option for the Lions if they choose to select him with the 29th overall pick in the next NFL Draft.
Given his talent, Valentino wrote, “there’s more buzz around the Detroit Lions replacing Taylor Decker’s huge $19.1 million cap hit than anticipated.”
Kingsley Suamataia needs to be taken into consideration if Detroit wishes to get rid of Decker this summer. As a prospect, Suamataia is similar to Decker in that he typically completes tasks on time and depends on excellent equipment to succeed.
Since joining the Lions as a first-round draft pick in 2016, Decker has been a mainstay of the offensive line, starting 112 games. Although the seasoned tackle has stated that he wants to stay in Detroit, his contract will probably be the deciding factor.
“You obviously want money, but personally, I enjoy being here. I’m happy to be here,” Decker said to Kyle Meinke of MLive.com. In the end, do I want to stay here permanently? 100% of the total. We’ll see, then.
With one season remaining on his deal and a projected salary of $27.9 million the following season, Goff’s contract extension with the Lions appears to be moving forward. The Lions are expected to offer Goff an extension this offseason and have made progress in their negotiations with Goff’s representatives, as Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press reported.
Goff has the full backing of the Lions’ front office and coaching staff after leading the team to their first NFC Championship game in thirty years.
Lions coach Dan Campbell remarked, “I’ve said this before, to me, Jared Goff is a winning quarterback.” “With that guy, you can succeed in this league, something you can’t say about many other guys. Thus, I’m happy he’s here.
Birkett of the Detroit Free Press stated that a significant extension is anticipated, with CBS analyst Boomer Esiason projecting the team will sign him for a four-year contract worth $200 million.
