{"id":318267,"date":"2026-04-14T02:23:04","date_gmt":"2026-04-13T20:53:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/?p=318267"},"modified":"2026-04-14T02:23:04","modified_gmt":"2026-04-13T20:53:04","slug":"ragnow-lions-bears-young-turner-tomlinson-packers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/index.php\/2026\/04\/14\/ragnow-lions-bears-young-turner-tomlinson-packers\/","title":{"rendered":"Ragnow, Lions, Bears, Young, Turner, Tomlinson, Packers"},"content":{"rendered":"

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The Lions<\/strong> continued their practice of recouping money from retired players\u2019 signing bonuses by asking for a few of Frank Ragnow<\/strong>\u2018s. The previous Pro Bowl center is believed to have paid back a part of $3MM, the utmost number the team could collect on this case, in response to the Detroit Free Press\u2019 Dave Birkett<\/a>. The Lions famously proceeded this fashion with Barry Sanders<\/strong> and Calvin Johnson<\/strong>, alienating each following their earlier-than-expected retirements. Detroit having done this with all-time greats made the team refuse to make an exception for Ragnow, who retired last summer \u2014 before a failed comeback attempt.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur precedent goes all the way in which back to Barry Sanders<\/em>,\u201d team president Rod Wood<\/strong> said, via Birkett. \u201cAnd if Barry Sanders paid back money. \u2026 And I feel the fact is, they\u2019re not paying back their money, they\u2019re returning our money. Cause they were paid prematurely for services that they hadn\u2019t accomplished<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

Teams are inside their rights to ask for signing bonus a reimbursement after a retirement, but not all achieve this. Ragnow signed a four-year, $54MM extension in 2021. That deal included only a $6MM signing bonus; $3MM of that remained on Detroit\u2019s cap sheet, as two years were left on the middle\u2019s deal. Although signing bonuses are prorated over the lifetime of a contract, players receive them much earlier \u2014 typically in a lump-sum payment or multiple such payments. The Lions asked for $1.6MM of a possible $3.2MM from Johnson following his 2016 retirement, they usually went to arbitration with Sanders after his stunning summer 1999 exit.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel every contract\u2019s barely different and I won\u2019t get into the negotiations because what we did with anyone player wasn\u2019t the exact same and it did have something to do with how way back it was and what number of the contract was a signing bonus vs. P5 [base salary]<\/em>,\u201d Wood said. \u201cBut when you don\u2019t do it with any individual, even a small amount, it makes it difficult to get the larger amount. And it\u2019s really, it\u2019s the Lions\u2019 money, it\u2019s not the player\u2019s money<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sanders and Johnson have since reconciled with the Lions. Ragnow, 29, just isn’t planning one other comeback bid. Here is the most recent from the NFC North:<\/p>\n