Taylor Decker still doesn’t have a home as July nears, and the fit that keeps coming up would push him so far from the Lions that Detroit might not see him again until a Super Bowl.
That’s the strange spot Decker is in after asking the Lions to release him in March. He clearly expected a stronger market for a veteran left tackle, but the options haven’t lined up the way he likely imagined. He also shut down the idea of signing with the Chicago Bears, a division rival of his former team, which has narrowed the field even more.
There’s even a real chance he waits as long as possible - possibly into the season - for the right landing spot. If that never comes, retirement remains on the table.
That possibility has been hanging over him for a while. In the same conversation with Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press, Decker said he had been thinking about retirement before last season ended, and he also made it clear that the shoulder he’s had operated on multiple times probably will never be completely right again.
That kind of uncertainty helps explain why teams may be reluctant to move quickly. A left tackle who may not be fully healthy and has already talked about walking away is not exactly a clean investment.
Still, Decker keeps showing up on lists of the best free agents left, and when Moe Moton of Bleacher Report paired seven top offensive free agents with ideal landing spots, he landed on the Pittsburgh Steelers for Decker.
The reasoning is easy to follow. Pittsburgh has a real issue at left tackle.
Broderick Jones has struggled in pass protection, and there is no timetable for his full return from a neck injury. Troy Fautanu took left tackle reps in the spring, but he played only on the right side through his first two seasons.
Adding Decker would let the Steelers take a slower, cleaner approach across the tackle spots.
Under that setup, Jones could recover without pressure, Fautanu could move back to right tackle, and rookie first-rounder Max Iheanachor could be developed gradually as a swing option.
The quarterback situation makes the fit matter even more. Aaron Rodgers has said publicly that the 2026 season will be his last, and whether that ends up being true or not, Pittsburgh is going all-in while he’s under center.
Rodgers has made it clear throughout his career that he’d rather not take unnecessary punishment, which means quick throws and better protection are part of the formula. That kind of plan only works if the line can be trusted.
Moving Fautanu to left tackle while Jones’ neck situation remains unsettled is far from ideal. Plugging a rookie into the right tackle spot immediately is not ideal either. Decker would give the Steelers a way to smooth out both problems at once.
As long as Jones’ health is still in question, Pittsburgh and Decker make a lot of sense together. Maybe something is already being worked on and will be finalized once training camp gets closer. And while Decker was unlikely to face the Lions this season no matter where he signed, ending up in Pittsburgh would almost erase that possibility entirely unless the two teams somehow meet in a Super Bowl.
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