Taylor Decker injury analysis as he weighs retirement
It's not just the shoulder
Taylor Decker has been notably dealing with a right shoulder issue for the past 2 seasons. But he also has an accumulation of other injuries recently which will weigh into his retirement decision.
Here is a timeline of some of Decker’s known injuries…
2017 Shoulder labrum surgery
September 7, 2023 Suspected moment of ankle deltoid ligament tear
December 10, 2023 Back injury
February 2024 (approximate) Surgeries for toe sesamoidectomy, ankle deltoid ligament, and bone spurs.
Taylor Decker toe surgery analysis from 2024
While Taylor Decker’s 2 years of shoulder issues may be the primary reason for considering retirement, it’s likely a toe injury that required surgery after the 2023 season will influence his decision as well.
October 2024 Right pec strain
November 2024 Right rotator cuff injured in practice, missed 1 game
November 24, 2024 Right knee MCL & ankle sprain, missed 2 games
July 2025 (approximate) Right shoulder surgery. Reported by Detroit Free Press as AC joint decompression, clavicle incision, and bone spurs related to rotator cuff.
September 14, 2025 (Week 2) Started wearing a right elbow/arm brace
October 5, 2025 (Week 5) First of 2 missed games for shoulder. Here he is in his first game back in Week 7 showing signs of aggravation…
November 2, 2025 (Week 9) Possible left knee MCL and ankle sprain. No missed games for this.
2025 Postseason interview
In this postseason locker room interview, Decker revealed many of the treatments he has used during the season, presumably for the right shoulder:
corticosteroid injections
PRP injections
gel injections
red light therapy
acupuncture
hyperbaric O2
stim machine
The efficacy of all these types of treatments is certainly up for debate. The desired outcome is an improvement in healing and pain, which can be highly subjective and prone to the power of placebo.
I fully support trying new technologies to improve healing. The challenge is trying to figure out what works and what doesn’t. When you dig into the research studies, many of the studies have flaws - like lack of placebo control or conflict of interests.
Ideally, with extended rest and healing, his shoulder will improve to the point where he doesn’t need any of these treatments to get by.
Contract status and team outlook
Decker is signed through the 2027 season. He will be 33 years old at the start of the 2026 season which means his age is a concern regardless of his injury history.
If he retires this offseason, there will be a dead cap of about $9 million dollars but a cap savings of about $12 million. At least some, if not all, of that savings may need to go towards an OT replacement unless a current player like Gio Manu can surprise.
Drafting an OT at the Lions #17 overall pick would cost about $22 million over 4 years which is very reasonable. However, that pick would then not be available to be used on other high-priority positions like interior OL, EDGE… and possibly safety and TE.
The best thing for the Lions is if Decker is healthy and can play at least another year.
Health outlook
At this point, most of the signs are pointing towards a Decker retirement. His right shoulder never recovered all season even after an attempted surgical fix in the offseason. Bone spurs in his shoulder are a sign of chronic inflammation like arthritis.
Many of his treatments, like the steroid injections, are an attempt to decrease the chronic inflammation, but the problem didn’t fully improve. Even if the inflammation and pain resolve in the offseason with rest, there is a very good chance of recurrence once he starts playing football again.
Throw in a chronic toe issue that could become a problem again at any point, and a lot of things have to go right for him to play effectively and reasonably symptom-free.
Decker will need to decide if he is willing to struggle through pain again. Even if he decides to give it a go, the Lions will need a solid plan B in case he just can’t make it through the season.