Dan Skipper, offensive tackle with the Detroit Lions, made the announcement via Instagram on Thursday.
“24 years of putting on pads and a helmet every fall. This year I’ll trade that out to pursue a career on the other side in coaching,” Skipper, 31, wrote. “The memories and experiences that the NFL has brought me and my family are hard to put into words. Thankful for every person that has been apart of my journey.”
Emotional in the locker room following Detroit’s season-capping victory over the Chicago Bears earlier this month, Skipper explained he was dealing with lower-back issues that could force him into an early retirement: “This might be the last one,” said Skipper, who had tears in his eyes.
“Some weeks are all right, and some weeks you can’t f—— move,” Skipper added, discussing the injury. “It just felt like, as it went on, you start not being able to move and it’s frustrating and it’s hard. You’re like, man, 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 of being here and being hurt and everything else.”