Detroit Lions forced Frank Ragnow to repay portion of signing bonus upon retirement
· Yahoo Sports
On Tuesday, Detroit Lions president Rod Wood confirmed to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press that the Lions asked Frank Ragnow to repay part of his signing bonus when he retired early last spring.
Visit asg-reflektory.pl for more information.
Wood confirmed that the Lions sought "a portion" of Ragnow's signing bonus proration after Ragnow retired last June with two years left on his contract. Wood declined to share with the Free Press how much Ragnow returned.
Ragnow inked a four-year, $54 million extension in the spring of 2021 that made him the NFL's highest-paid center. Ragnow's deal ran through the 2026 season and it included a $6 million signing bonus. Though signing bonuses are typically paid in one or two lump sums shortly after the execution of a new contract, those signing bonuses are prorated over the life of the contract for salary cap purposes.
In Ragnow's case, his prorated bonus counted $1.5 million against the cap in the 2023-26 seasons.
“Our precedent goes all the way back to Barry Sanders,” Wood said in a sit-down interview with the Free Press on Sunday, March 29, at the NFL’s annual spring meeting. “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 briefly attempted a comeback to the Lions last November, but Ragnow failed a physical because of a torn hamstring and was placed back on the reserve/retired list.
Ragnow was a four-time Pro Bowler (2020, 2022-24) and a three-time second-team All-Pro (2020, 2023-24) with the Lions. The Arkansas alum played in and started 96 regular-season games across seven NFL seasons.
For more Lions coverage, follow us on X, @TheLionsWire, and give our Facebook page a like. Follow Josh on X, @JoshOnLions
This article originally appeared on Lions Wire: Detroit Lions forced Frank Ragnow to repay portion of signing bonus upon retirement