Lions CEO Frank Ragnow explains his sudden retirement, failed comeback attempt
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Former Detroit Lions star center Frank Ragnow had a wild 2025 NFL season despite never playing snaps.
Ragnow, 30, retired suddenly over the summer, announcing his retirement on social media. In November, he attempted to return to the field and signed with the Lions, but failed due to a Grade 3 sprain.
The four-time Pro Bowler said he had no intention of retiring last summer.
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Frank Ragnow of the Detroit Lions watches from the sidelines during the national anthem before the NFL game against the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on Dec. 30, 2023. (Perry Knotts/Getty Images)
“To shoot you straight, I was trying to play, and my body was telling me different. And I was like paralyzed if you will,” Ragnow said, according to ESPN. “I didn’t plan on retiring in the middle of the summer, believe it or not. I was trying to get that, ‘You can do it,’ to the guys, the fans … like, who are you.
“But it’s like I wasn’t comfortable, and it’s one of those things where you have a couple of kids, and I don’t want a sob story,” Ragnow said. “I would be totally fine with everything, but it’s one of those things where it’s like, ‘the juice is worth the squeeze’, and for me, it ultimately comes down to that decision, and obviously, I faced that decision as well.”
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Detroit Lions’ Frank Ragnow looks on during the NFL football game against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on Dec. 30, 2024. (Michael Owens/Getty Images)
Ragnow said he continued to settle, which is why he tried to withdraw in November. He said he knew his muscle was hurting but he didn’t know how bad it was.
“I got hurt a day or two before I got there, and it’s unfortunate. I should have listened to my body maybe, but it is what it is,” Ragnow said. “It’s a learning experience, and at least I can say I put my head on the pillow at night and said I tried. I tried the team. I tried the fans. And it wasn’t meant to be.”
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Detroit Lions center Frank Ragnow warms up before the game against the Buffalo Bills at Ford Field in Detroit on Dec. 15, 2024. (Junfu Han/USA TODAY NETWORK)
He spent his entire seven-year career with the Lions after being drafted by the team in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft. After the 2021 season, Lions general manager Brad Holmes made Ragnow the league’s highest-paid center at the time with a four-year, $54 million contract.
The center made the Pro Bowl in back-to-back seasons after signing the contract, as he remains one of the best centers in the sport despite battling injuries throughout his career. In his final season, Ragnow played through a slightly torn pectoral muscle and still played in 16 games.
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