On Tuesday the Detroit Lions and Taylor Decker agreed to a contract extension that would keep the left tackle in Detroit through the 2024 season.
This morning, coach Matt Patricia spoke about Decker at his morning press conference and had the following to say:
I’ve just seen so much growth in him over the last couple years in his ability to get better at the position, just be more consistent, his technique, his leadership is outstanding, the way that he approaches every single day. He’s just been a really consistent guy for us on the offensive line. I would say his overall football knowledge has just really increased with the different types of looks and protections, blitz packages that they see on the offensive line, the run game, just overall improvement by him each year.
I think he’s having a great camp; I think he’s working really hard. He’s been the same guy every day. I just couldn’t be any happier for him in general with his development as a player and obviously everything that goes along with that for his future.
I think he’s just an intricate part of what we’re trying to do and what we’re trying to be about. Every day I get a chance to work with him (and) it’s been great. I’m really excited about that. I’m excited about all of it. But I would say that the improvement he’s made over the last couple years – and with the coaching changes and head coaching changes and all the rest of it, you just see the growth and development that he’s had.
You always want to do everything you can to raise your own and reward your own. Certainly, Taylor has done an awesome job for us.
Once the agreement became official, Quinn issued a statement:
Since the day we drafted him, Taylor has dedicated himself to our program and has developed into an important piece of our offense. As one of our team captains, he sets a great example for every player in our locker room. This extension is a reflection of all of Taylor’s hard work, and we are incredibly excited to come to this agreement and continue to work with Taylor for years to come. I also want to thank Taylor and his representatives for their work in making this extension a reality.