The 19-16 victory by the Detroit Lions over the rival Chicago Bears at Soldier Field in Week 18 of the 2025 NFL season may have not only been the final game in the career of longtime offensive lineman Taylor Decker, but off offensive tackle Dan Skipper.
Decker was seen fighting back tears while speaking with Lions reporters, admitting that he may have reached the end of the road in his NFL career while saying that he’ll still need time to make his ultimate decision.
The scene wasn’t much different for Skipper, who implied that his NFL journey may have reached an end.
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Has Detroit Lions OT Dan Skipper Reached The End Of His NFL Journey?
Speaking to reporters after Detroit’s 19-16 victory over the Bears and former offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, Skipper admitted while fighting back tears himself that his career may have reached an end.
“This might be the last one,” he said of the Week 18 game that was Detroit’s season finale.
Skipper, 31, said that he plans on meeting with doctors in the coming weeks while also disclosing that he’s been dealing with issues related to his lower back.
“You start getting some pretty intense surgeries – I’m old, tall,” he said. “So, we’ll see what happens.”
Skipper continued by expressing his appreciation for playing for the Lions and the special memories that he has of not only on the field but off it as well.
“Finding a way to just stick around and stick in and finding a home and (having) guys that appreciate you, a place to take you in. It’s a special place,” Skipper continued. “It’ll always hold a place in our heart. We had a kid born here. My boys know the damn fight song.”
Skipper began his NFL career as an undrafted free agent with the Dallas Cowboys in 2017, but would later be signed to the Lions’ practice squad.
He then had stints with the practice squads of the Denver Broncos, New England Patriots, and Houston Texans before returning to the Lions for a second stint in 2019.
Skipper, who is currently in his fourth stint with the Lions, has also seen time with the practice squads of the Las Vegas Raiders and Indianapolis Colts.
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Dan Skipper Praised The Lions’ Medical Staff
Skipper, who suffered a low-ankle sprain during the August 2025 Hall of Fame game, gave credit to the Lions’ medical staff for doing their best to keep him coming back for more, even when the pain made it difficult.
“I’ve just never had a ‘quit’ bone in me. I don’t know, maybe that would’ve saved me at some point,” Skipper said. “You just find a way to play through it for the guys next to you, for your family, for everyone else. You just give it everything you’ve got each week.
“Some weeks are all right, and some weeks you can’t f—— move. 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. I owe a lot of it to the training staff.”
Skipper appeared in all 17 regular season games for the Lions last season.
Tearful Dan Skipper Gets Brutally Honest About Future With Detroit Lions