During a virtual press conference with the Detroit media, Lions left tackle explained that he and the organization have begun contract extension negotiations, but they’re in the very early stages.
“Nothing major,” Decker said of the talks. “Obviously, ‘Hey, we like you, we like you’, sort of thing, but nothing major.”
Decker is currently playing on a fifth-year contract option and at this stage in the process, all $10.35 million is fully guaranteed for the 2020 season. That contract matches up very closely with where Pro Football Focus had Decker graded last season — his salary is the 21st highest for an offensive tackle, while he graded out as the 19th best.
It’s unclear how much Decker and his agent are asking for but it’s surely a contract that averages more than what he is making this year. A deal that averages somewhere between $15 and $18 million appears to be the going rate for an NFL starting left tackle.
Lions general manager Bob Quinn typically targets key veterans for contract extensions during training camp, but with the current COVID situation putting several traditional movements in question, it’s entirely possible Decker enters the season with no guarantees.
Fortunately for Decker, his career has been traveling on an upward trajectory since injuring his shoulder in June of 2017, and if he enters the season without a deal and his career continues his rise, his contract will reflect that.
Also working in Decker’s favor is his ability to maintain his typical offseason program. While other NFL players are struggling to workout, it’s been business as usual for Decker who is working out at LeCharles Bentley’s OLP training facility in Arizona — where Decker has an offseason home — as he has the last five offseasons.
“My gym has been open the entire time,” Decker said. “So, I’ve been fortunate to get to be around other NFL guys, doing what I typically do in the offseason — aside from having to adapt with not having the OTAs and going against a live defense.”
It’s not ideal to be playing the final year of his contract in the current world environment, but if this sense of normalcy gives Decker an advantage on the field, it could pay dividends in his bank account.