Two seasons ago, when the Detroit Lions lost in the NFC Championship to the San Francisco 49ers, head coach Dan Campbell said it would be tough to get back there with the same core of players.
While many pundits and fans brushed off the coach’s words as cautious, they proved true. The Lions failed to make it past the divisional round last season, and they didn’t even make it to the dance this last campaign.
And on Thursday, they were hit with one of those pieces of the core team deciding to hang up the cleats, as the Lions continued their mission to reshape their offense.
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Offensive tackle Dan Skipper was a journeyman in the league until he wasn’t. Originally signed as an undrafted free agent by the Dallas Cowboys in 2017, Skipper then found what he believed to be his home with the Detroit Lions.
Except it wasn’t.
Skipper would bounce around the league from the Texans to the Colts to the Patriots to the Lions two different times before his fourth stint became his final destination.
Over the past three years, Skipper has been integral to the Lions team and even caught a touchdown pass from Jared Goff. He was released, put on the practice squad, and then promoted to the main team again in 2025, showing his never-give-up attitude that helped him persevere in a league with so many different peaks and valleys.
Although there was no news leading up to this retirement, there had been prior discussions about Skipper possibly leaving the game due to the accumulation of injuries throughout his career.
While his playing days are now over, many people within the NFL circle believe that his next stop will be the coaching ladder. If Skipper one day works his way up the hierarchy like he did in the NFL, he’d become the tallest head coach in league history at a staggering 6-foot-10.
