The Detroit Lions made the decision last year to claw back portions of the signing bonus they had paid to former All-Pro center Frank Ragnow when Ragnow elected to retire with two years remaining on his contract. Team president Roy Wood confirmed the decision, stating that it’s a team precedent to do so.
“Our precedent goes all the way back to Barry Sanders,” Wood said, per the Detroit Free Press. “And if Barry Sanders paid back money. … And I think the reality is, they’re not paying back their money, they’re returning our money. Cause they were paid in advance for services that they hadn’t completed.”
Ragnow had $3 million in prorated signing bonus payments remaining from the contract extension he signed in 2021 that included a $6 million signing bonus. The signing bonus was paid to Ragnow immediately, as is the case for all NFL contracts, but the four $1.5 million cap hits didn’t register until the 2023 through 2026 seasons because of the way bonuses are prorated over the life of a contract. With Ragnow electing to retire rather than play in 2025 and 2026, the Lions elected to recoup an undisclosed portion of the remaining $3 million they had paid out but they felt Ragnow had not earned with his play, as is their right under the collective bargaining agreement.
“It’s the Lions’ money,” Wood said, by way of rationalization. “It’s not the player’s money.”
Former Lions linebacker Alex Anzalone, who spent the 2021 through 2025 seasons with the team before signing with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this offseason, criticized the team’s decision by pointing out all that Ragnow had gone through to suit up for the team over the years.
Former All-Pro Eagles center and current ESPN commentator Jason Kelce also weighed in on the situation, again criticizing the Lions for their decision to recoup the money.
“Let me say this first, if a player truly just retires without reason, or because they’ve lost the desire to play, I completely get and acknowledge teams should be able to recoup compensation when players don’t fulfill there contractual obligations and agreements,” Kelce said.
“However, Frank was known for being hurt and playing through injuries most players wouldn’t play through constantly. Broken foot, a torn pec, multiple knee injuries, back issues. There was always something, and I’m sure he was continuously dealing with multiple ailments to try and continue playing the game. His body clearly had deteriorated to a degree that made football no longer a viable option, physically, and probably mentally. In my opinion, the signing bonus is supposed to protect players from future physical ailments limiting their availability on the field, that’s one of the reasons you want more guaranteed money upfront.
“So while I get that the team has a right to ask for money back, in the spirit of the agreement, I think it’s bulls–t Frank is being asked to return money. This was clearly a player that the game had physically taken its toll on, and his body was clearly no longer holding up to the rigors of the NFL. It wasn’t just some player deciding he didn’t want to play anymore, it wasn’t that simple, and these signing bonuses are there to protect players from the inevitable injuries they incur on the field.”
As if to exemplify Kelce’s point, Ragnow actually did briefly try to return to the field late last season with the Lions’ offensive line struggling, before failing his physical and shutting it down instead. Given the volume and severity of the injuries he suffered over the years, it appears that he was simply physically unable to play anymore, even if he was not declared medically unfit by a doctor before he chose to retire rather than continue playing.
This is, of course, not the first time the Lions have made the decision to recoup signing bonus money from a franchise great. As Wood stated, they have done this going back to Barry Sanders, from whom they collected $7 million after arbitration. They also collected $1.6 million from Calvin Johnson. Those decisions led to strained relationships between the franchise and both players, who are arguably the two best players in the team’s history. It remains to be seen if they’ll have a similarly fractured relationship with Ragnow, or whether it affects contract negotiations with other players in the future.
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