John Cominsky was unavailable due to injury throughout the 2024 campaign, and he will not be back on the field in the future. The veteran defensive lineman announced his retirement on Monday. 
“After six years in the NFL, I am officially medically retiring,” Cominsky’s announcement reads in part. “I am proud of the career I had, but have accumulated a combination of injuries that are overwhelming my desire to continue playing…. I walk away with my family in mind and therefore, have found peace in this difficult decision.”
The 29-year-old began his career with the Falcons, playing with them from 2019-21. Cominsky made 27 appearances over that span, but he only registered one start and was never able to manage a full campaign. Despite having one season left on his rookie deal, the former fourth-rounder was waived in the spring of 2022.
Considerable interest was shown on the waiver wire, and the Lions wound up acquiring him. Cominsky took on a much larger workload during his debut campaign in the Motor City, logging eight starts and a 60% snap share. Having established himself as a first-team contributor, the Charleston product re-signed with the Lions on a two-year, $8.5MM pact that offseason. Cominsky made a career-high 16 appearances in 2023, notching a new personal high with 36 tackles and adding a pair of sacks (after recording four the previous season).
Expectations were high as a result ahead of this past campaign. A summer MCL tear kept Cominsky sidelined, however, and by December it was clear he was one of many Lions defenders who were not seen as a candidate to return later in the campaign. Now, Detroit will move forward knowing Cominsky will not be a 2025 contributor along the D-line.
A veteran of 60 combined regular and postseason games, Cominsky will turn his attention to his post-playing days. He exists the NFL with just over $10MM in career earnings.
Congrats to the Commish on a career well played. Enjoy retirement
Had a couple great seasons in Detroit. Didn’t stuff the stat sheet, but man did he ever disrupt the offense. Best of luck to ya Cominsky!
Sad to hear in terms of him as a player really loved how he found his place in Detroit after facing early adversity in the league. But hopefully he’s happy as a person and that’s all that matters
Wow, that’s unexpected. Detroit would have really benefited from his return. Cominsky was the epitome of the dirty work guy. He wasn’t a DT in size, but he was excellent at plugging gaps and stuffing runs. Sad to see him go, as a fan of football.