Four-time Pro Bowl center Frank Ragnow is coming out retirement and rejoining the Detroit Lions, multiple media outlets reported on Wednesday.
The Lions appeared to confirm the news by posting a picture of Ragnow on its social media sites.
It’s unclear when Ragnow would return to Detroit (7-4), who trail the Chicago Bears (8-3) and Green Bay Packers (7-3-1) in the NFC North. The Lions host the Packers on Thursday afternoon.
Ragnow, 29, started all 96 games in which he played during his seven NFL seasons before calling it a career in June, citing that he wished to prioritize health and family.
He apparently had a change of heart, and at a good time for the Lions. His successor, Graham Glasgow, is dealing with a knee injury while guard Christian Mahogany is on injured reserve with a leg injury.
A first-round pick out of Arkansas, Ragnow was named second-team All-Pro last season.
Ragnow was often lauded for playing through injuries. In 2021 he played with a “fractured throat” after missing two games and he pushed through a partially torn pectoral muscle after being ruled out for only one game, the Monday night trip to Seattle.
Ragnow had chronic toe injuries, the onset of which he believes began with a torn plantar plate in his foot in 2021.
