Per Dave Birkett, the Lions could potentially consider moving RT Penei Sewell to the left side, now that LT Taylor Decker has requested his release from the team.
Last month, Decker announced on his Instagram that he’s returning for his 11th season in the league in 2026. Earlier this offseason, Decker said he was unsure about returning for another year after dealing with a shoulder injury for most of the 2025 season.
Ultimately, Decker requested his release after it became apparent that the two sides had different plans for the future.
Decker, 32, is a former first-round pick of the Lions back in 2016. He was in the final year of a four-year, $10.967 million contract when the Lions picked up his fifth-year option.
Decker was set to make a base salary of $10,350,000 for the 2020 season and was in line to be an unrestricted free agent in 2021 before the Lions signed him to a six-year, $85 million deal.
Detroit re-signed Decker once again in July of 2024, when the two sides agreed on a three-year, $60 million extension.
In 2025, Decker appeared in and started 14 games for the Lions at left tackle.
Sewell, 25, was drafted by the Lions with the No. 7 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. He was entering the final year of a four-year, $24,099,068 rookie contract that included a fifth-year option to pick up on him in 2024.
The Lions then signed him to a four-year, $112 million extension to make him the highest-paid offensive lineman in the NFL. The deal included $85 million in guaranteed money.
In 2025, Sewell appeared in 16 games for the Lions and started each time at offensive tackle.
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