Lions Dan Skipper Retires From NFL, Announces Future Plans

Detroit Lions offensive lineman Dan Skipper has made a decision regarding his playing career.

The 31-year-old shared on social media his plan is to call it a career and retire from the National Football League.

Skipper posted on his Instagram, "24 years of putting on pads and a helmet every fall. This year I’ll trade that out to pursue a career on the other side in coaching. The memories and experiences that the NFL has brought me and my family are hard to put into words. Thankful for every person that has been apart of my journey. It’s time for me to “report” as retired. (Sorry I had to do it one last time!)."

He will reportedly make the transition into coaching and relatively quickly.

At the East-West Shrine college all-star game, Skipper will coach the offensive linemen and tight ends.

Head coach Dan Campbell was asked about the cult-hero status of the veteran lineman.

Against the Dallas Cowboys back in 2023, Skipper attempted to report as eligible, but officials botched the call, costing the Lions a two-point conversion.

“Not really. Skip’s a, he’s a different breed of man. He’s something else," said Campbell. "He does a good job, man. I’ll tell you what, he’s dependable now. He’s reliable, dependable, and he does a lot of jobs for us.”

Afterwords, fans at Ford Field would cheer loudly when officials informed the crowd that Skipper had reported as an eligible receiver.

Over the course of his career, Skipper appeared in 69 NFL games. With the Lions, he served admirably in a reserve role, and started at both guard and tackle when called upon.

The loss to the Commanders was especially difficult for the veteran to handle, given the Lions entire team could hear the victors celebrating.

"Every hoot, every holler, every shout rang through the walls of the Detroit Lions locker room and drove a dagger through my heart," Skipper shared. "I think we all, we make memories of things that you can use during those days of training camp, and this is definitely an audible memory that I’ll remember."

The sudden end to an NFL season often hits players quite hard.

“It sucks because next thing up is OTAs,” Skipper said. “Like, (expletive). I don’t know that it’s hit yet. It just (expletive) sucks.”

After the Lions victory against the Chicago Bears, Skipper hinted his career could be over.

“This might be the last one,” Skipper told reporters. “There comes a time for all of us when we’re done. I’ve got some medical stuff that might push me out. It’s tough."