The Detroit Lions have an unfortunate history of demanding their former players pay them back after retiring, and Frank Ragnow is no exception.
The Lions drafted Ragnow with the 24th overall pick in 2018, and the 6-foot-5 center played seven seasons in Detroit before deciding to retire during the 2025 offseason. Although he attempted to return to the Lions late this past season, a hamstring injury discovered during his physical prevented him from doing so.
Now, Detroit, which previously held firm in its demands that superstar players Calvin Johnson and Barry Sanders pay back portions of their respective signing bonuses after retiring, did the same to Ragnow, who, according to Lions president Rod Wood, paid back a portion of the $3 million he could have owed.
The team policy has been controversial for years, and Jason Kelce, who played 13 seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles before retiring in early 2024, isn't a fan that Ragnow has to pay back anything.
“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 bullsh–t Frank is being asked to return money,” Kelce wrote in a long post on X, formerly Twitter. “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.”
During his seven seasons in the NFL, Ragnow played 100 games, including playoffs, and earned three second-team All-Pro selections and four Pro Bowl invitations.
