Former Arkansas great Frank Ragnow coming out of retirement
By Jake Faigus
Published:
Former Arkansas All-American and All-Pro NFL center Frank Ragnow is officially over retirement.
Reports surfaced on Wednesday that Ragnow, who announced his retirement last June to “prioritize my health and my family’s future,” was making his return to the NFL. Ragnow will rejoin the Detroit Lions. The organization confirmed his return in a social media post.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Wednesday was the deadline for the 4-time Pro-Bowl center to come out of retirement and be eligible for this season. If a player is on a club’s reserve-retired list, he must be reinstated before his Week 13 game. Since the Lions play on Thanksgiving, that meant Wednesday was their deadline.
The Lions drafted Ragnow with the 20th overall pick in the 2018 NFL draft out of Arkansas, and he quickly established himself as one of the best centers in the NFL. In only 7 seasons, he earned four Pro Bowl nods and 3 second-team All-Pro selections.
One of the reasons Ragnow retired in the first place was that he had had injury issues throughout his career. He only played in 4 games in 2021 after suffering a season-ending torn plantar plate in his left foot. Then, he dealt with injuries to his toe, knee, and ankle in 2023.
Ragnow rejoins a Lions team that finds itself in one of the hottest-contested divisional races in the league. Detroit is third in the NFC North, sitting at 7-4. Green Bay, whom Detroit faces on Thanksgiving Day, is 7-3-1 on the season while the Chicago Bears lead the division with an 8-3 record.
