ALLEN PARK — Dan Skipper hinted after this most recent season that injuries to his lower back might be catching up with him and his playing career.
Skipper, the fan-favorite Detroit Lions offensive tackle, announced his retirement via Instagram on Thursday afternoon. He harkened back to his most infamous moment while making the announcement, reporting as retired. After the 2023 Lions-Cowboys game ended in controversy, Skipper’s cult-hero status took off in Detroit. Every time after that moment when the PA announcer would say, “No. 70 is reporting as eligible,” the Ford Field crowd would erupt.
“24 years of putting on pads and a helmet every fall,” Skipper wrote on Instagram. “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 a quick transition to coaching, working with offensive linemen and tight ends at the East-West Shrine Game later this month.
Skipper, 31, went undrafted out of Arkansas, getting his start in the NFL with the Dallas Cowboys, which is a nice touch in hindsight. His first stint started with the Lions back in 2017. Skipper spent time with several franchises on the practice squad or offseason roster, but his only NFL regular-season playing time came in Detroit and with the Houston Texans (2019).
During his college days at Arkansas, Skipper hosted former Lions center Frank Ragnow on a recruiting trip before becoming teammates there and in Detroit. Skipper spent most of his nine-year career with the Lions, earning his spot as the trusted sixth man off the bench more times than not.
Skipper saw his most playing time in the league after Dan Campbell took over as coach in Detroit. From 2022 through this most recent campaign, Skipper has played 56 games and started the only 16 games of his career during that span. He was the team’s go-to extra blocker for heavy-set jumbo formations, and the first tackle off the bench if Taylor Decker or Penei Sewell were banged up. He started five games in 2025, with his last coming on Christmas against the Minnesota Vikings.
Ragnow retired last year, and now it’s Skipper’s turn, as Decker contemplates his playing future, as well. Skipper might not be the household name or even a regular starter, but he’s earned a following here in Detroit for a fanbase that loves its offensive linemen.
And it adds another offseason need for the Lions, who already needed tackle and guard depth while waiting on Decker’s decision, not to mention a starting center.
“Skip’s — he’s a different breed of man,” Campbell said late this past season. “He’s something else. 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.”
