Lions’ four-time Professional Bowl middle Frank Ragnow says he is retiring

Detroit Lions middle Frank Ragnow, a four-time Professional Bowl choice in his seven NFL seasons, introduced his retirement on social media Monday.

“These previous couple of months have been very making an attempt as I’ve come to the conclusion that my soccer journey is ending and I am formally retiring from the NFL,” Ragnow posted to Instagram. “I’ve tried to persuade myself that I am feeling good however I am not and it is time to prioritize my well being and my households future. I’ve given this crew all the pieces I’ve and I assumed I had extra to provide, however the actuality is I merely do not.

“I’ve to take heed to my physique and this has been one of many hardest selections of my life. The Lions group has been completely unimaginable all through this course of and I can not emphasize this sufficient how grateful I’m for this crew and all of the followers. It was an absolute honor going to battle for you all.”

Ragnow battled by a number of accidents all through his profession. In 2021, following a season wherein he performed with a fractured throat, normal supervisor Brad Holmes and coach Dan Campbell made him the league’s highest-paid middle on the time with a $54 million, four-year extension.

The 29-year-old Ragnow performed 16 video games final season, lacking solely the crew’s Week 4 sport vs. Seattle with {a partially} torn pectoral muscle. He did not miss a begin afterward and was named to the Professional Bowl for the third consecutive season.

He entered the NFL as a first-round draft choose by the Lions in 2018, incomes second-team All-Professional honors in 2020, 2023 and 2024. He obtained his first Professional Bowl nod in 2020 below then-coach Matt Patricia, and he performed 96 profession video games — all begins.

Rookie Tate Ratledge, a second-round pick of Georgia, is the most definitely substitute for Ragnow. Ratledge, 24, performed guard in school however has been taking the first-team reps at middle for the Lions throughout OTAs.

Ragnow has had a historical past with severe toe accidents, lacking 13 video games in 2021 with what he referred to as “probably the most extreme diploma of turf toe” after which had a separate harm to the identical toe early within the 2022 season and performed by it in what he referred to as one of many hardest years of his profession.

In 2023, he informed the Detroit Free Press that the toe harm had gotten to a degree the place surgical procedure would not assist, and it was simply one thing he was going to should navigate for the remainder of his profession.

The Related Press contributed to this report.