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The Detroit Lions forced retired Pro Bowl halfway Frank Ragnow to salary backmost immoderate of his signing bonus, and Philadelphia Eagles awesome Jason Kelce is not happy astir it.
The Lions person done this earlier pinch immoderate of nan champion players successful their franchise history, Barry Sanders and Calvin Johnson, and it has created a rift successful their narration pinch nan 2 Pro Football Hall of Famers. Kelce said he thinks it’s "bulls---" that nan Lions are asking Ragnow to return money.
"While I get that nan squad has a correct to inquire for money back, successful nan tone of nan agreement, I deliberation it’s bulls--- Frank is being asked to return money," Kelce posted to X.
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Monday Night Countdown’s Jason Kelce talks during nan pregame show earlier nan crippled betwixt nan New York Giants and nan New England Patriots astatine Gillette Stadium successful Foxborough, Massachusetts, connected Dec. 1, 2025. (Eric Canha/Imagn Images)
"This was intelligibly a subordinate that nan crippled had physically taken its toll on, and his assemblage was intelligibly nary longer holding up to nan rigors of nan NFL. It wasn’t conscionable immoderate subordinate deciding he didn’t want to play anymore, it wasn’t that simple, and these signing bonuses are location to protect players from nan inevitable injuries they incur connected nan field."
Ragnow signed a four-year, $54 cardinal statement hold successful May 2021 that made him nan highest-paid halfway successful nan NFL, pinch a $6 cardinal signing bonus. The signing prize from that statement counted $1.5 cardinal each play against nan net headdress from 2023–26.
Lions president Rod Wood confirmed that nan squad asked for a "portion" of Ragnow’s signing bonus.
"Our precedent goes each nan measurement backmost to Barry Sanders," Wood told nan Detroit Free Press. "And if Barry Sanders paid backmost money. … And I deliberation nan reality is, they’re not paying backmost their money, they’re returning our money. Cause they were paid successful beforehand for services that they hadn’t completed."
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Frank Ragnow (77) of nan Detroit Lions looks connected during an NFL shot crippled against nan San Francisco 49ers astatine Levi's Stadium successful Santa Clara, California, connected Dec. 30, 2024. (Michael Owens/Getty Images)
Kelce said he understands nan squad wanting its money backmost if nan subordinate retired without logic and if that subordinate did not fulfill nan request of nan contract. In Ragnow’s case, Kelce thought nan four-time Pro Bowl halfway retired owed to health issues aft leaving it each connected nan field.
"However, Frank was known for being wounded and playing done injuries astir players wouldn’t play done constantly. Broken foot, a torn pec, aggregate knee injuries, backmost issues. There was ever something, and I’m judge he was continuously dealing pinch aggregate ailments to effort and proceed playing nan game. His assemblage intelligibly had deteriorated to a grade that made shot nary longer a viable option, physically, and astir apt mentally," Kelce wrote.
"In my opinion, nan signing prize is expected to protect players from early beingness ailments limiting their readiness connected nan field, that’s 1 of nan reasons you want much guaranteed money upfront."
Ragnow retired earlier past season, but attempted a comeback during November, but he grounded a beingness because of a torn hamstring. However, contempt Ragnow retiring because of injury, Wood views arsenic nan signing prize arsenic nan team’s money.
"It’s nan Lions’ money, it’s not nan player’s money," Wood said.
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Detroit Lions halfway Frank Ragnow (77) lukewarm up earlier nan crippled betwixt nan Detroit Lions and Buffalo Bills astatine Ford Field successful Detroit connected Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024. (Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
Kelce said nan intent of nan signing prize is to beryllium a guarantee up front.
"The full intent of a signing prize is to beryllium a guarantee up beforehand that insures a net irregardless of capacity metrics, aliases astir importantly injuries that could discuss your profession successful nan future," Kelce wrote.
Including playoffs, Ragnow played successful 100 games for nan Lions, and made nan Pro Bowl 4 of nan past 5 years of his career.
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Ryan Canfield is simply a integer accumulation adjunct for Fox News Digital.
