If you thought Detroit Lions left tackle Tyler Decker was battling injuries this year, man, you only knew half of it.
After the Lions’ final game of the 2025 season, a tough last-second win over the Chicago Bears, Decker went through a lot of emotions in the locker room. Apparently, he’s considering whether this could be the last game of his 10-year career — all spent with the Lions. While he still insists he’s not emotionally equipped to make such a momentous decision, he also painstakingly reviewed every detail of the physical struggle of the 2025 season.
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Decker underwent shoulder surgery in the offseason and hopes to enter the new season healthy and strong. But almost immediately, the shoulder started bothering him again. This forced him to miss a few games early, but the situation never went away, even though Decker spent the majority of each game rehabbing in order to feel well enough to compete.
“I get therapy every day before my meetings,” Decker explains. “There were a lot of times during practice, too, because I wasn’t able to get to the point where I was able to do a lot of exercises. Working with our PT (physical therapist) Austin (White), being able to try to do some things to increase strength, that kind of thing.
“There are probably six or seven different types – not different types – but different injections. Steroid injections, PRP injections, gel injections, that kind of thing. I go to an acupuncturist a few times a week. I try to spend four to five hours a week in the hyperbaric chamber. I try Do it on the red light bed for 20 to 30 minutes a day and then in the evening I’ll do something with the direct stimulation machine at home, and then I’ll probably start doing something after the kids are asleep until about 9:30 and then I have to go to bed and do that at 6. Click to wake up and start over.
“But it’s necessary and it’s what I’m willing to do.”
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Decker’s thoughts immediately turned to his family, and the thought of retirement crept in.
“It’s asking a lot of my wife,” Decker said, then paused long and burst into tears. “It’s selfish of me, but it’s what’s needed to meet my job expectations. That’s not my thing – if that’s my future going to continue playing – that’s not something I’m willing to do. Because I’m not willing to put my family through that. I’m not willing to distance myself and be a father now because you only have your kids once and, God willing, we have more. I want to be able to play with them. I want to throw the ball with them, I can’t throw the football right now.
“But, under the right circumstances, could I (play in 2026)? Maybe. But I need to go through the process,” Decker said.
Don’t expect Decker to make an immediate decision, as he’ll need some time to shake off his current emotions, possibly consult with a medical professional about a path forward, and make an informed decision — whenever that may be.
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You can see some of Decker’s emotional moments in the locker room below:
This is the Taylor Decker quote I’ve seen the most:
