Detroit Lions' lineman Dan Skipper opts for retirement, will immediately transition into coaching

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Allen Park — In the locker room following the Detroit Lions’ season-ending win over the Chicago Bears, a somber Dan Skipper suggested he may have played the final snap of his NFL career.

Three weeks later, after some additional medical testing on his problematic back, the veteran lineman is calling it a career. Skipper made the announcement on Instagram, also noting that he’s immediately transitioning into coaching.

“The memories and experiences that the NFL has brought me and my family are hard to put into words,” Skipper wrote. “Thankful for every person that has been a part of my journey.”

Skipper told the Detroit Football Network that he’ll work with the offensive linemen and tight ends at next week’s East-West Shrine college all-star game.

Undrafted out of Arkansas in 2017, Skipper initially signed with the Dallas Cowboys before landing with the Lions that September. And while his NFL journey briefly took him to New England, Denver, Houston, Las Vegas and Indianapolis, the road always brought him back to Detroit.

Skipper appeared in 69 games during his career, with 66 coming in a Lions uniform. That included several starts for the Lions over the past four seasons at both guard and tackle.

In addition to his primary job as a reserve offensive lineman, Skipper carved out a prominent role in the team’s jumbo package as an extra tight end. That led to two memorable moments: The reporting as eligible fiasco against Dallas in 2023, which made him a cult hero locally, and a touchdown catch a year later before racing to the hospital to witness the birth of his daughter.

In Dallas, in 2023, Skipper was incorrectly identified as reporting eligible on a trick play at the end of the game, which negated a potential game-winning two-point conversion toss to left tackle Taylor Decker. After the penalty, Skipper was captured by the broadcast cameras, red-faced and screaming at officials.

His visceral reaction transformed Skipper from a background figure into the face of the fan base's "Detroit vs. Everybody" rallying call. Years later, home fans at Ford Field continued to cheer loudly each time the referee announced Skipper, No. 70, had reported as eligible.

“Skip, he’s a different breed of man,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said this year. “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.”

Skipper was a surprising cut coming out of training camp. Tendonitis in his knee had sapped his strength, leading to the team opting to go with veteran JaMarco Jones for the backup tackle spot instead.

Despite offers from other teams, Skipper opted to re-sign with Detroit’s practice squad and continue to rehab the knee. Shortly after, Jones was lost to an Achilles injury ahead of Week 1. Once Skipper was healthy, a little more than a month later, he was added back to the 53-man roster.

Skipper appeared in 12 games for the Lions this season and played 228 offensive snaps, including two starts at left tackle. Ailing, he was passed over for a third start in favor of Chris Hubbard in the finale. Skipper logged just a single snap in the game against Chicago.

“This might be the last one,” Skipper said after the game, choking up. “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.

“…Some weeks are all right, some weeks you can’t f______ move,” Skipper said. “I just feel like as it went on, not being able to move, it’s frustrating, it’s hard. Stuff that you have been able to do for a long time, you can’t anymore. It sucks, but it’s just part of the aging process.”