detroit lion star injury will make him to retire…

Frank Ragnow’s laundry list of injuries, paired with general manager Brad Holmes’ words that the Detroit Lions would give him space to think this offseason, led many to believe that retirement was an option for the All-Pro center.

Well, Ragnow ended that speculation in a hurry, with no room for interpretation.

Neither Ragnow nor Holmes ever used the word “retirement” when discussing his future, for what it’s worth. But the pair’s comments after the NFC title game loss cracked the door for speculation and questions about Ragnow’s future. And that’s just human nature when running through what he played through not just this season but the last three years.

In 2021, his season was over after only four weeks due to the toe injury that’s haunted him ever since. And while Ragnow said the team’s new health director and training staff team helped him “see the light” with his toe this season, it’s an issue described as inoperable and needs constant maintenance throughout the season.

Ragnow played through lingering pain in 2022. He still made the Pro Bowl while receiving elite ranks across the board from the likes of Pro Football Focus and ESPN’s block win-rate stats.

And then this season threw a couple of different wrenches his way.

Ragnow suffered what looked to be a nasty knee injury against the New Orleans Saints in early December. He underwent a procedure, then missed only one game with the knee injury before returning to action.

And that was while he was still working through knee/back/toe issues on the weekly injury report.

Then, in the divisional-round win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Ragnow suffered a sprained knee and a sprained ankle in the win. He managed to play every offensive snap that day, then was out there for all 72 snaps the next week against the San Francisco 49ers to end the year.

Ragnow previously finished a game while playing with a fractured throat and has proven to be one of the league’s true warriors. The 27-year-old has also remained one of the best, if not the best, centers in the league when he’s on the field, fully healthy or not.

“It really takes a toll on you,” Ragnow said after the season ended. “So I need to find a way to get back to Frank. And I don’t regret any of this at all, but it weighs on you.

“And I’m just going to take some time and really figure everything out to make sure that I’m feeling good, not only for me, the football player, but for me to be the best husband and best father and everything with that as well.”