Throughout the 2023 season, the Detroit Lions became recognized for their “grit,” a quality that helped the team win the NFC North and progress to the NFC Championship Game the previous season. The series and its followers even created a social media hashtag to represent it: #AllGrit.
Frank Ragnow, the Lions’ center, may have exemplified it more consistently than any other player. Since being selected by the organization in the first round of the 2018 draft (No. 20 overall), the Pro Bowl tackle has battled ailment after injury.
Most notably, he has fought a nagging turf toe issue since the 2021 season, which limited him to only four games. Nonetheless, he’s managed to play almost a full season’s worth of games the last two seasons (16 in 2022 and 15 in ’23), earning Pro Bowl accolades in both campaigns and a second-team All-Pro selection this year.
Most recently, he played all 72 offensive snaps in Detroit’s NFC Championship Game loss to the 49ers, despite spraining his knee and ankle in the Lions’ divisional round playoff win against the Buccaneers the week before.
Ragnow is the very definition of a “gamer.” And it’s difficult to identify a current NFL player who is harder than him.
He’s also won over countless Lions fans with his tenacity and grit.
Unfortunately, he may have played his final down as a professional footballer.
Since the completion of the season, there has been increased speculation that Ragnow will retire.
The perception has only been fuelled by recent statements from the veteran interior lineman and Detroit general manager Brad Holmes.
Ragnow, for example, did not expressly mention that he is considering retirement, but did mention the physical and mental toll that the game of football has had on him.
“It takes a toll on you,” Ragnow remarked as he cleared out his locker in Allen Park. “It really takes a toll on you, so I need to figure out how to get back to Frank, and I have no regrets about anything. But it wears on you, and I’m just going to take some time to really figure things out to make sure that I’m feeling good, not only for myself as a football player, but also as the greatest husband and father I can be.”
Meanwhile, at his season-ending media session, Holmes echoed his Pro Bowl center’s words and stated that he would not rush to make a decision about his playing future.
“I have so much respect for him (Ragnow) and for everything that he goes through and fights through that I’m just respectful of his time and his thoughts,” Holmes said in a press conference Monday. “We are not going to urge him to do anything or make any movements, but we will communicate diligently. “It will be thorough and respectful.”
Despite those comments from both Ragnow and Holmes, I’m not convinced that Ragnow, the backbone of Detroit’s offensive line, is retiring just yet.
At this point, I’d say the 300-pound lineman has a 30 percent chance of retiring.
