Rams Announce Retirement Of CB Darious Williams
The Rams made a major addition to their secondary by trading for Trent McDuffie this week. The unit has now suffered a loss, albeit a less impactful one, with the retirement of veteran cornerback Darious Williams.
Williams, who is about to turn 33, was entering the last year of his contract and was seen as a possible cap casualty with $7.5MM in potential savings. Instead, he will hang up his cleats after 104 games played, 69 starts and a championship ring from Super Bowl LVI in 2022. That is a strong career for an undrafted free agent, especially one who started playing college ball at a Division III school.
In fact, Williams is the only player from Marietta College to play in the NFL. He spent his freshman year with the Pioneers and transferred to UAB, where he made the team as a walk-on in 2014. He remained at the school even after the football program briefly shut down, per Greg Beachum of the Associated Press, and went on to start 18 games across the 2016 and 2017 seasons, earning a first-team All-Conference USA nod in the second.
The Ravens signed Williams as an undrafted rookie in 2018 and he made the 53-man roster with Jimmy Smith serving a suspension. He appeared in three games on special teams and was waived when Smith was eligible to return. Baltimore wanted to retain Williams, according to Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic, but the Rams swooped in and claimed him instead.
Williams only appeared in one game during his first year in Los Angeles, but he carved out a rotational role on defense and a core role on special teams. He stepped into a starting job in 2020 and was retained in 2021 on a restricted free agent tag.
Another year as a starter earned Williams a three-year, $30MM deal from the Jaguars in free agency in 2022. He started 28 games over the next two seasons and was released with one year remaining on his contract. He then returned to Los Angeles on a three-year, $22.5MM deal, of which he earned $15MM.
With McDuffie already acquired, the Rams will not need to seek a direct replacement for Williams, though they could still look to upgrade their secondary.
Williams will retire with just over $43MM in career earnings and, according to Nate Atkins of The Athletic, will now move into a new role as a father.
Packers Trade DT Colby Wooden For Colts LB Zaire Franklin
The Packers and Colts continue a busy weekend ahead of free agency as the two teams have reportedly come to an agreement to trade Green Bay defensive tackle Colby Wooden for Indianapolis linebacker Zaire Franklin, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. No picks were needed to facilitate what is simply a player for player deal that results in both teams filling a position of need.
The Packers motivation for the Packers is clear here. Given that off-ball linebackers are grouped into the same fifth-year option calculation as outside linebackers, first-round linebackers hardly ever see their fifth-year options picked up. This was the case with Packers’ 2022 first-round pick Quay Walker, who is bound for free agency after four years in Green Bay. The Packers evaluated well when they landed linebacker Edgerrin Cooper in the second round two years ago, but in a base 3-4 defense, they need a second solid starter at inside backer.
Franklin was a late bloomer for the Colts, joining the team as a seventh-round pick out of Syracuse in 2018 and not establishing himself as a full-time starter until his fifth year with the team. In his first three years in Indy, Franklin spent most of his time on special teams, though he did rotate in on defense occasionally and fill in as a spot starter. Despite his humble contributions to the stat sheet, Franklin made his presence felt in the building. An organizational favorite, he was named a team captain in his third year with the team.
In 2021, Franklin started to see a bit more playing time while still playing second fiddle to All-Pro Shaquille Leonard and Bobby Okereke. By 2022, though, Leonard was extremely limited from offseason back surgery, and Franklin got his first opportunity to work as a full-time starter in the NFL. He made that opportunity count as he led the team in total tackles (167) and tackles for loss (12, career high).
After finishing fourth in the NFL in total tackles in his first year as a starter, Franklin finished second in league in 2023 with 179 tackles (a career high) and finally led the league in 2024 with 173. His efforts as the league-leading tackler landed him second-team All-Pro honors as he supplemented the eye-popping stat with 11 tackles for loss, a career-high 3.5 sacks, two interceptions, six passes defensed, and five forced fumbles. His numbers dropped off a bit in 2025, but even in a down statistical year, Franklin led the team in total tackles (125), adding seven tackles for loss, two sacks, and five passes defensed.
Even before he got his opportunity as a full-time starter, the Colts showed their faith in Franklin by re-signing him on a three-year, $12MM contract to keep him from free agency after his rookie contract expired. After seeing Franklin in his role as a starter for two years, the team avoided letting him play on a contract year, agreeing to extend him on a three-year, $31.26MM deal. That extended deal still has two years remaining on it. With a $6.24MM base salary and per game roster bonus that could total $765K, he represents a $7MM cap hit for his new team in 2026. That $7MM will come off the books in Indianapolis as the team looks to create some cap with intentions to try and hold on to pending free agents Daniel Jones and Alec Pierce, but they’ll need to add back to the linebacking corps at some point after losing Franklin.
Wooden has also been a bit of a late bloomer as he enters the final year of his rookie contract. A fourth-round pick out of Auburn in 2023, Wooden played a rotational role in his first two years with the team, appearing in 30 games over that time and not logging his first start until Week 12 of his sophomore campaign. In limited time, he was still able to make a decent impact, totaling 37 tackles, three tackles for loss, four quarterback hits, a half sack, and two batted passes. He became a full-time starter of Year 3 in Green Bay, only coming off the bench in the team’s regular season finale.
With veteran defensive tackle Neville Gallimore set to become a free agent, Wooden comes in to add some depth and starting experience to the line. USA Today’s Ryan Wood notes that Wooden way Green Bay’s best run defender on the interior line, but that doesn’t speak to much as Pro Football Focus (subscription required) still graded Wooden’s run defense quite a bit below average. Still, Wooden’s first season as a starter was generally perceived as solid, and he’s sure to continue improving as he gets more game time under his belt.
Breaking news, more to come…
Eagles Agree To Extension For DT Jordan Davis
The Eagles will avoid letting defensive tackle Jordan Davis play out his fifth-year option and hit free agency next offseason. Per NFL insider Jordan Schultz, Davis and the Eagles are finalizing a three-year, $78MM extension to keep the 26-year-old interior defender in Philadelphia. He becomes the highest-paid nose tackle in NFL history.
Davis’ $26MM AAV is tied with former teammate Milton Williams for the second-highest annual pay of any interior defensive lineman, per OverTheCap. The deal includes $65MM in guaranteed money, which would be the most fully guaranteed money at his position in league history. Including his fifth-year option, Davis will be under contract through the 2029 season for a total of $91MM, or $22.75MM per year. That is still a sizable amount for a player with just eight career sacks and no Pro Bowl or All-Pro recognition, but Davis still has plenty of untapped potential.
The Eagles leapfrogged the Ravens during the 2022 draft to select Davis with the No. 13 pick after four strong seasons at Georgia and one of the most impressive performances in the history of the Combine. The hulking 6-foot-6, 336-pounder got off to a slow start in the pros, logging just 3.5 sacks and six tackles for loss in his first three seasons. An ankle sprain and a carefully-managed snap count in Davis’ rookie season raised some concerns about his durability and fitness, but he played in every game in 2023 and 2024 with more than 900 total snaps.
In 2025, Davis took his game to another level. His 72 tackles, 4.5 sacks, nine tackles for loss, six passes defended, 686 defensive snaps, and 61% snap share were all career-highs. Those are not necessarily eye-popping numbers, but his size and strength consistently demanded double-teams in the trenches, creating better opportunities for his teammates.
Davis’ extension will raise questions about the Eagles’ plans with Jalen Carter, also a former Georgia first-round pick. He was the more productive player in 2023 and 2024, but he missed five games due to injury (and one due to an ejection) in 2025. Philadelphia will have to make a decision on his fifth-year option – worth $27.13MM (via OverTheCap) – by May 1. Carter will also be eligible for a long-term extension and will likely be shooting for the biggest defensive tackle contract of all-time. The market is currently capped by the $31.75MM per-year deal of Chris Jones, though Carter has yet to reach his level of production. Still, he should push close to $30MM per year, if not more, a pricey figure for a team that already has a lot of money committed to the future.
Still, Eagles general manager Howie Roseman is known as a salary cap wizard and could certainly find a way to keep Carter even after Davis’ extension. If he cannot, he will at least have Davis anchoring the middle of his defense for at least the next four seasons.
Bills To Re-Sign C Connor McGovern
Re-signing veteran interior offensive lineman Connor McGovern was a huge priority for the Bills this offseason, and according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the two parties reached an agreement on a new four-year, $52MM contract to avoid free agency. A report from Ian Rapoport that the team was closing in on this four-year pact preempted the final news, but Schefter broke the deal with details, including a guaranteed amount on the new contract of $32MM. 
McGovern came into the NFL as a third-round pick for the Cowboys in 2019. After sitting out his entire rookie season with a torn pectoral muscle, he served as a backup behind an impressive Dallas Duo in Zack Martin and Connor Williams. McGovern found eight starts in his first season of play, filling in a couple times when Martin filled in at tackle and getting the rest as Martin sat with a concussion or a calf injury. In Year 3, he returned to a backup role but stole a few starts as Williams was benched due to a tendency to commit too many penalties. He earned the starting left guard job in the last year of his rookie contract and, in addition to allowing just two sacks and committing one penalty he continued to show his versatility with some spot starts replacing center Tyler Biadasz.
Off of a strong final year in Dallas, McGovern landed in Buffalo on a three-year, $22.35MM deal as the Bills looked to replace veteran left guard Rodger Saffold. Starting all 17 games, McGovern was part of an offensive unit that allowed the fewest sacks in the NFL in 2023, but personally, McGovern left plenty of room for improvement in the run game. Part of the Bills’ solution for this was a position change.
Buffalo pursued some cost-cutting moves in 2024 and opted to release veteran center Mitch Morse, shifting McGovern inside to fill the newly vacant role. Starting 16 games at this new position, McGovern looked much more balanced with his pass-pro and run-grading duties. Per Pro Football Focus (subscription required), he graded out as the 10th-best center in the NFL as he earned Pro Bowl honors for the first time in his career. In his second year as a full-time center, McGovern continued to improve, grading out as PFF’s ninth-best center in 2025.
After McGovern’s Pro Bowl campaign, the team began extension discussions with him and fellow interior lineman David Edwards. As those discussions continued, it became clear to that it may end up being one or the other between McGovern and Edwards. McGovern didn’t seem confident that it was going to be him sticking around. Just a few days ago, he told The Athletic’s Tim Graham that the team hadn’t contacted him once and that the feeling in his gut was that his time with the Bills was “over and done.” In the end, though, McGovern got the deal, and the consensus remains convinced that Edwards will be bound for free agency, likely to land a bit more money than his presumed former linemate.
In what looks to be a decent crop of free agent centers this offseason, McGovern was largely seen as the No. 2 option. Ravens center Tyler Linderbaum has not reached a new deal with the team that drafted him 25th overall in 2022, despite Baltimore’s best attempts. Linderbaum is expected to set a new market at the position with some reports claiming an aim of $25MM per year, a jump of $7MM from the reigning highest-paid center Creed Humphrey‘s $18MM annual average value. Seeing where the market could’ve ended up, the Bills were smart to lock McGovern in at the time and rate that they did.
With McGovern off the market, all eyes will be on Linderbaum now. There’s a bit of a dropoff in quality after Linderbaum as Panthers center Cade Mays, Browns center Ethan Pocic, and Broncos center Lloyd Cushenberry round out the pack. The Ravens had kept an eye on McGovern in case they couldn’t hold on to Linderbaum, but McGovern cashes in here with Buffalo as the NFL’s third-highest paid center, and the Bills secure a key piece of the interior of an offensive line that has helped Buffalo see the 2024 MVP and the 2025 leader in rushing yards.
Texans To Re-Sign LB E.J. Speed
The Texans are re-signing linebacker and special teams ace E.J. Speed, per KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson. He will receive a two-year deal worth up to $13MM with $7.5MM in guaranteed money, which includes a $4MM signing bonus.
Speed’s new contract represents a strong raise after a successful debut year in Houston. He signed for $3.5MM last offseason (via OverTheCap) and appeared in 16 games with a 44% snap share on defense and a core role on special teams. The 30-year-old was a key part of the Texans’ league-leading defense, recording a 9.6% run stop rate that ranked fifth among all linebackers with at least 150 run defense snaps, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required).
Originally a Colts fifth-round pick in 2019, Speed earned a roster spot as a special teams ace and began to see more time on defense in 2021. He re-signed with the team on a two-year, $8MM deal in 2023 and stepped into a starting role. The following year, he played nearly every snap in 2024 and ranked second on the team and 12th in the league with 142 tackles.
Despite that, Indianapolis did not re-sign Speed for a second time last offseason. He stayed in the AFC South and landed in Houston, where he served as the No. 3 linebacker behind Azeez Al-Shaair and Henry To’oTo’o. Speed will continue in that role in 2026 as the Texans attempt to repeat their incredible defensive performance during the 2025 season.
Speed is the third Texan to sign a new contract this week. The team re-signed offensive tackle Trent Brown and extended edge rusher Danielle Hunter on Thursday, taking care of two of their top offseason priorities. Other key pending free agents include right guard Ed Ingram and defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins. With more than $30MM in cap space (pending Speed’s exact contract details), Houston has enough money to pursue new contacts with both players (or any others set to hit the market), though they may also want to pursue upgrades in free agency. They also have to budget for long-term deals with Will Anderson and C.J. Stroud, who will both become eligible for an extension this offseason.
Raiders To Trade DE Maxx Crosby To Ravens For Two First-Round Picks
After speculation earlier today that the Ravens were making a push for Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby, a deal has reportedly been made. According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, Las Vegas has agreed to send Crosby to Baltimore in exchange for the Ravens’ first-round picks for the next two years. The trade cannot be officially processed until the new league year starts next week, but the agreement appears to be in place. 
It had been reported that the Ravens were one of a few teams making a strong push for Crosby, and about half an hour ago, NFL insider Jason La Canfora relayed that the Ravens weren’t just interested here, they were “desperate for an impact (defensive) lineman.” It was actually in this post from La Canfora that it was first reported that Baltimore was willing to deal two first-round picks.
That news, by itself, was headline-worthy. A franchise notorious for the way it builds through the draft, the Ravens had never — in their short, 30-year history — traded a future first-round pick — let alone two — in exchange for a player. The closest such situation came all the back in 2003, the only other time the team gave up a future first-round pick. They gave their 2004 first-rounder to the Patriots in order to move back up into the first-round, after having taken Arizona State record-setting pass rusher Terrell Suggs at No. 10 overall, to select Cal quarterback Kyle Boller with the 19th pick that year.
This should speak volumes about how badly the Ravens felt they needed to acquire Crosby. It was only a year ago that Baltimore finished just behind Denver for the most sacks in the NFL thanks to breakout performances from veteran Kyle Van Noy and fourth-year pass rusher Odafe Oweh who combined together to take down the quarterback 22.5 times. This year, the Ravens held the third-lowest sack total in the league. Van Noy missed a couple games and Oweh was traded to Los Angeles after only five, but the two defenders’ sack total in Baltimore this year was 2.0.
Perhaps even more detrimental to the Ravens’ pass rush in 2025 was the season-ending loss of defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike. The second-team All-Pro tackle suffered a Week 2 neck injury that not only sidelined him for the remainder of the year but also put Madubuike’s long-term future in question. It’s been six months since the disruptive lineman went down, and with the team still not able to offer a positive update on the matter, reports of Baltimore’s desperation for an elite defensive lineman and today’s subsequent trade may spell out the worse for Madubuike.
With the future of the Ravens pass rush looking as dour as it ever has, what better gift could new head coach Jesse Minter be presented with than Crosby? Minter’s defense is Los Angeles last year saw much more success than Baltimore’s, even getting 7.5 sacks out of Oweh, who was sackless before getting traded. Minter also got to see Crosby up close and personal three times during his tenure as defensive coordinator for the Chargers. One has to imagine Minter had some influence on the decision to pursue the AFC West star.
Trade interest in Crosby dates all the way back to 2023. Having just signed a four-year, $94MM extension of his rookie contract, Crosby delivered a breakout season, notching 12.5 sacks and a league-leading 22 tackles for loss. During another lost season in Las Vegas, the vultures circled over Crosby around the trade deadline, but the Raiders rebuked all advances. In an effort to endorse then-interim head coach Antonio Pierce for the official job, the fiercely loyal Crosby threatened to request a trade should Pierce not be retained.
When the trade deadline rolled around the next season, and Pierce’s 2-4 start as the full head coach had the vultures circling again, the team had to fight off trade inquiries once again. In the offseason last year, trade interest once again swirled around Crosby and the Raiders, but ultimately, the team signed him to a new three-year, $106.5MM extension keeping him under contract through the 2029 NFL season. For the third trade deadline in a row, though, Vegas had to continue to deny that Crosby was available.
Things took a turn for the worse near the end of the season when, in an attempt to secure their best chance at the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, the Raiders shut Crosby down for the final two games of the regular season. In response to hearing his team’s decision, Crosby immediately exited the facility, and it was reported that he would evaluate his future in Vegas. According to Dianna Russini of The Athletic, that decision by the Raiders “soured his belief that Las Vegas was the right place for him.” Ever the loyal teammate who once had claimed hopes of finishing his career with the Raiders, Crosby did not publicize his trade requests as the Raiders muddied the waters to maintain leverage in trade negotiations, even though both sides “knew that Crosby’s future was sealed back in mid-December.”
A year after having signed his extension, Crosby finally will get traded. It had been reported that the Raiders were looking for a Micah Parsons– or Khalil Mack-level package in exchange for Crosby. In regard to Parsons, that meant two first-round picks and an impact player, while Mack was traded — along with a second- and fifth-round pick — for two firsts-, a third-, and a sixth-round pick. There were rumored contenders in Super Bowl participants Seattle and New England, but early thoughts were that the Parsons/Mack-like asking price was too high.
The Raiders didn’t feel a need to lower the price, though. They felt that, as interest in Crosby grew and the pressure to offer just a bit more continued to increase, someone would eventually meet the price they needed to hear to pull the trigger.
The Bears and Cowboys entered the fold, and it was disclosed that the Ravens joined the chase a few days later. It simply came down to the fact that Ravens were the first to breach the threshold of two first-round picks, which was apparently, all the Raiders were actually looking for. The Cowboys reportedly were only willing to offer a first- and second-round pick, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, despite holding two Day 1 selections after the Parsons deal. According to Russini, the Jaguars also attempted to get in the mix, but the lack of a first-round pick this year — from the trade up to draft Travis Hunter — prevented them from putting together a competitive offer.
In exchange for finally making this trade, the Raiders have put themselves in excellent position for a reboot in 2026. They now hold the Nos. 1 and 14 picks in the upcoming draft, and according to Vincent Bonsignore of the California Post, the effects of the Crosby trade and the eventual release of quarterback Geno Smith will put Las Vegas at a league-leading approximate $127MM in cap space. With a fresh staff under newly hired head coach Klint Kubiak and all signs pointing to the arrival of Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza as the first pick of the draft, the Raiders are as primed as they’ll ever be to make the turnaround of the century.
Raiders To Release QB Geno Smith
Geno Smith will indeed prove to be a one-and-done passer in Vegas. Barring a last-minute trade, the Raiders will release the veteran, as first reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter. 
Smith’s future has been in question since Vegas secured the No. 1 pick in April’s draft. Earlier this week, signs increasingly pointed to a release taking place in the event no trade partner was found. Suitors will no doubt wait for Smith to become a free agent before making a push to acquire him.
The 35-year-old does not appear to be particularly downtrodden over today’s development, given his reaction on social media. Smith will become one of many veteran quarterbacks on the market with free agency looming. A long-term commitment would come as a surprise, but NFL insider Jordan Schultz reports multiple teams are expected to show interest in this case.
The Seahawks brought in Klint Kubiak as their offensive coordinator last offseason. That set up a potential pairing with Smith, but with Seattle bringing in Sam Darnold Smith wound up being dealt to Vegas. Immediately after the Super Bowl, Kubiak was hired by the Raiders as their new head coach. Once again, though, no time will be spent with Smith in his case. A parting of ways points even further to Vegas selecting Fernando Mendoza first overall in April.
That remains the widespread expectation, but Dianna Russini of The Athletic cautions the Raiders’ preference would be to have Mendoza sit at the beginning of his rookie campaign. If insurance for the Heisman winner is to be added, Russini points to free agency as the route GM John Spytek and Co. will take. Vegas is not lacking in cap space, so finances will not be an issue when QB options are evaluated.
Cutting Smith will yield $8MM in cap savings while generating a dead money charge of $18.5MM. He was on course to see $8MM in 2026 compensation become guaranteed on March 13, leading to the timing of this decision. Smith will join Kyler Murray and – in all likelihood – Tua Tagovailoa as starting quarterbacks released by their respective teams. Their free agent prospects will be worth watching closely once the new league year begins next week.
In 2022, Smith earned Comeback Player of the Year honors with a strong Seattle showing. The team’s Russell Wilson replacement led the NFL in completion percentage that season, and in the following year he secured a second straight Pro Bowl nod. Smith landed a new Seahawks contract in 2023, and he inked a two-year, $75MM pact upon arrival in Vegas. A less lucrative deal is no doubt coming this time around after the former second-rounder topped the league in interceptions (17) in 2025.
Offensive success proved highly difficult to come by for Vegas this past season. Kubiak and a much different coaching staff is now in place, and his ability to develop Mendoza and a core led by tight end Brock Bowers and running back Ashton Jeanty will be critical moving forward. Smith will not be part of that effort, as his next NFL opportunity awaits.
Bears To Acquire C Garrett Bradbury From Patriots
Garrett Bradbury is heading back to the NFC North. Days after Drew Dalman‘s retirement, the Bears have a deal in place to acquire Bradbury from the Patriots, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports.
Chicago is sending a 2027 fifth-round pick (per ESPN’s Adam Schefter) to New England for Bradbury, who logged six seasons as the Vikings’ starting center before being cut in 2025. The former first-round pick started every game for the Patriots last season, doing so after logging 88 starts with the Vikings from 2019-24.
The 2025 offseason dispersed Dalman and Bradbury elsewhere. A four-year Falcon, Dalman signed a three-year, $42MM Bears deal. Not too long after his Vikings release, Bradbury landed in Foxborough via a two-year, $9.5MM pact. The Bears will pick up Bradbury’s $3.7MM 2026 base salary.
This trade comes after Tyler Biadasz, who visited the Bears in the wake of the Dalman retirement news, agreed to a three-year Chargers deal worth $30MM. Chicago will save quite a bit at center compared to Dalman or Biadasz, though Bradbury will likely be a downgrade from Dalman’s 2025 work.
Pro Football Focus graded Bradbury as the NFL’s No. 29 overall center last season. The Patriots voyaged to Super Bowl LX, but their O-line featured shaky stretches beyond merely Will Campbell‘s late-season struggles. Ryan Poles and Ben Johnson are certainly familiar with Bradbury from previous NFC North clashes, but it is worth wondering if the Bears will add a center option in the draft as well. Bradbury will turn 31 in June.
The Vikings gave Bradbury a three-year, $15.75MM deal in 2023; that came after then-GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah did not pick up the Rick Spielman draftee’s fifth-year option. PFF has never graded Bradbury as a top-10 center, but the advanced metrics site did place him 11th in 2022. Rankings outside the top 20 have followed in the years since.
The Bears, who officially placed Dalman on the reserve/retired list today, look to be passing on a free agent market that also includes Connor McGovern, Cade Mays, Lloyd Cushenberry and Ethan Pocic. Tyler Linderbaum is PFR’s No. 1-ranked free agent, but with Biadasz potentially being too pricey for the Bears (if that is indeed the case), the four-year Ravens starter’s explosive market certainly would be.
Chicago looks set to plug Bradbury into an O-line returning starters Joe Thuney, Jonah Jackson and Darnell Wright — while LT Ozzy Trapilo will spend part of the season rehabbing a patellar tendon tear — while New England will need a new center. Ben Levine’s Patriots Offseason Outlook mentioned Bradbury as a potential cut candidate. It is worth wondering if the Patriots will be in the market for a free agent upgrade soon. The Bradbury trade will also mark a reunion for Thuney and Bradbury, who played together at NC State.
Lions Plan To Release LT Taylor Decker
Taylor Decker agreed to put off retirement earlier this offseason, but it looks like the veteran left tackle will be seeking a second NFL employer.
The 10-year blocker announced on Instagram he is being released by the Lions (via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero). Decker was set to earn $14.9MM in base salary next season; none of that amount was guaranteed. As our Detroit Offseason Outlook piece indicated, Decker was due a $1.5MM salary guarantee on March 15. Decker’s post reveals requested this release.
It sounds like the Lions were angling for a Decker pay cut, as the former first-round pick notes discussions were ongoing about his contract. Decker, 32, was tied to a three-year, $60MM deal that ran through the 2027 season. The Ohio State product played through injury last season, only missing three games. A year after the Lions lost center cornerstone Frank Ragnow, they are splitting up their Pro Bowl Decker-Penei Sewell tackle tandem.
This release will save Detroit $11.6MM in cap space, though it will also leave a significant void at a premium position. Decker has started 140 career games with the Lions since being the No. 16 overall pick in 2016. Decker’s 140 starts are the third-most by a tackle in Lions history — behind Jeff Backus and Lomas Brown.
An essential part of Dan Campbell‘s turnaround in Detroit, Decker made his first Pro Bowl in 2024 — after signing his $20MM-per-year extension. That was Decker’s third Lions contract, after he had signed a four-year, $59.65MM deal in 2020. Decker said after the season he would take extensive time to determine if an 11th NFL slate was in the cards for him. Although Decker recently announced he intends to play, it is worth wondering if he is open to continuing his career outside of Detroit.
When Decker missed much of the 2021 season, the Lions used then-rookie Sewell at left tackle. That could be an option once again, but Sewell has established himself as a dominant right tackle. Sewell suddenly represents the last man standing from the 2023 O-line that powered the Lions to the playoffs. Pro Football Focus graded Decker as the league’s No. 39 overall tackle last season and has been high on his play throughout his Detroit decade. He ranked ninth, per the advanced metrics site, in 2023 and landed his second Lions extension in July 2024.
In the spring, Decker underwent surgery to relieve pain in his shoulder caused by bone spurs in his rotator cuff. He began training camp on the active/PUP list as a result, and though he suited up for the start of the regular season, he did miss three last season due to a shoulder ailment. It will be interesting to see if Decker lands elsewhere soon,
RFA/ERFA Tender Decisions: 3/6/26
Friday’s RFA and ERFA tender decisions:
RFAs
Non-tendered:
- Broncos: TE Lucas Krull
ERFAs
Tendered:
- Chargers: RB Kimani Vidal
- Vikings: LB Bo Richter, RB Zavier Scott
After a strong campaign backing up an injury-depleted running backs room, Vidal gets the most obvious ERFA tender of all time. Starting 10 of 13 game appearances, Vidal rushed for 643 yards and three touchdowns after injuries to Najee Harris, Omarion Hampton, and others.