Lions continue controversial tradition, force Frank Ragnow to repay bonus
The Detroit Lions reportedly forced Frank Ragnow to return a portion of his signing bonus, continuing a controversial team tradition on retired player.
Detroit Lions principal owner and chair Sheila Ford Hamp watches practice with president and CEO Rod Wood during minicamp at the Lions headquarters and practice facility in Allen Park on Tuesday, June 4, 2024. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images As they have with both Calvin Johnson and Barry Sanders, the Detroit Lions forced retired Frank Ragnow to return a portion of his remaining signing bonus. Talking with the Detroit Free Press recently, Lions team president Rod Wood revealed that the team recouped a portion of the remaining $3 million in signing bonus prorations left in Ragnow’s contract after the veteran center retired prior to the 2025 season.
A quick recap of what that means. Ragnow signed a contract extension in 2021 that included a $6 million signing bonus. That signing bonus is paid immediately to the player, but it only counts against the cap an even amount over the length of the contract.
In Ragnow’s case, the $6 million hit $1. 5 million against the cap in each year from 2023-26. Once he retired in 2025, there were still two prorations left to hit the cap ($3 million in total), and per the Collective Bargaining Agreement, the team can recoup all of those remaining hits.
Some teams opt to collect the money that is technically “theirs. ” The 49ers forced Chris Borland to repay his signing bonus after the third-round pick retired just one season into the NFL. The Colts famously did not ask Andrew Luck to repay any of his $16.