Thursday open thread: Should the Lions extend Taylor Decker?

The Lions have a tough decision to make in regards to Taylor Decker.

Here’s why:

He’s currently on the last year of his rookie contract, and despite being a solid all-around player, he’s not in the top echelon of left tackles in the NFL.

I’m sure most Lions fans will remember the first game of last season (where he gave up multiple strip sacks and committed four penalties) and think there’s no way the Lions can shell out big money to keep him around.

The problem for the Lions is twofold: He’s going to command big money, and the Lions don’t have much of a backup plan.

That brings me to today’s question of the day:

Should the Lions extend Taylor Decker?

My answer: Yes. It’s going to be expensive, but it’s also necessary.

Right now the Lions are scheduled to have around $58 million in cap space in 2021. That leaves them plenty of room to re-sign Decker — even if he commands upwards of $17 million/year on average.

The Lions’ only shot in the next five years of winning anything is going to be based on the health and production of Matthew Stafford. In order for him to perform, it makes no sense to remove his left tackle and hope for the best.

I also think it would be smart for Bob Quinn to re-sign some of his homegrown talent.

After letting Graham Glasgow walk this offseason, Quinn needs to show some goodwill to the rest of the team. It sends an odd message when players work hard, play well, and then aren’t re-signed by the team drafted them.

Your turn.