The Detroit Lions president, Rod Wood, confirmed at the annual owners' meeting that the team had asked Frank Ragnow to return a portion of his signing bonus. Now, the former center has addressed those comments.

Speaking to reporters at his annual Skeet Shoot Showdown event, Ragnow admitted that he was surprised that details of the situation became public.

“I guess that’s a tough question to answer. I’d say, obviously, the reports out there, whatever," Ragnow said, via AtoZ Sports. "I don’t know why they leaked it, but that’s on them.”

While the move was permitted under NFL rules, it quickly sparked debates in the league, given Ragnow’s status as one of the most respected players in franchise history.

He spent seven years with the Lions after being drafted in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft. Despite the controversy, the former All-Pro made it clear that he still holds the organization in high regard.

“I am trying to be a positive glass-half-full, whatever you say. There’s so many, I’m a people person. There’s so many great people in that facility and on that team, and I’ve got nothing but love and respect. And I’m rooting for all of them,” Ragnow added.

In 2021, Ragnow signed a massive $54 million contract extension for four years. That made him the highest-paid center at the time. But due to health issues, he retired in June 2025, with two years remaining on his contract.

So, he had roughly $3 million in prorated bonus money, and per the NFL’s Collective Bargaining Agreement, the Lions had every right to get it back.

However, this is not the first time that the Lions have asked players to return part of their signing bonus after they retired with years left on the contract.

They did so even for legends such as Barry Sanders and Calvin Johnson.

According to Wood, it was only fair for a player to pay back the money for services he didn’t render.

Wood Justifies The Move, Calling It ‘Lions’ Money’

NFL teams are permitted to ask for a portion of the signing bonus given to a player if the player has years left on his contract. Wood also argued whether it would be okay to not take back the money if the player didn’t play.

“If we signed, let’s use (Jahmyr) Gibbs. We sign Gibbs to a contract tomorrow, and we give him a $20 million signing bonus, and he retires on Friday, are we entitled to the $20 million back?” Wood said, per the Detroit Free Press.

In Wood’s view, the move is justified since they are contractually entitled to the money.

“It’s the Lions’ money,” Wood said. “It’s not the player’s money.”

Do you think the Lions were right in taking back that money? Let us know your opinion in the comments!  

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Written by

Dhruv Vishnu Nair

Edited by

Shubhi Rathore