Pride of Detroit
Exploring the Lions salary cap implications following the retirement of Frank Ragnow.
The Detroit Lions All-Pro center Frank Ragnow announced his retirement on Monday, leaving fans with several questions about the team’s future. While the team will surely have a competition to find his on-field replacement during training camp, the financial implications following his retirement are clearer but not yet solidified.
Ragnow was selected in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft, and when his rookie contract was nearing its end, he and the Lions agreed to a four-year contract extension, which expanded his contract through the 2026 season.
Slatted to count for just over $14 million against the cap in 2025, Ragnow’s retirement now shifts the Lions’ financial obligations to only account for the remaining guarantees. This will free up some salary cap space for Detroit in 2025, but just how much is yet to be determined.
Let’s take a look at Ragnow’s contract
Base salary: $9.15M
Signing bonus: $1.2M (Guaranteed)
Option bonus: $3.6M (Guaranteed)
Workout bonus: $100,000
Cap hit: $14,050,000
Base salary: $11.9M
Signing bonus: $0
Option bonus: $3.6M (Guaranteed)
Roster bonus: $750,000
Workout bonus: $100,000
Cap hit: $16,350,000
Because the Lions will only be responsible for the $8.4 million ($1.2M + $3.6M + $3.6M) in guarantees remaining on Ragnow’s contract, the rest of the contract will be wiped out once Ragnow officially retires. When and how much cap relief the Lions receive has not been solidified yet, as the timing of Ragnow’s retirement gives Detroit some options.
From a salary cap perspective, June 2nd represents a significant day in the NFL because it gives teams the option to split a player’s (who is no longer with the team) contractual guarantees over two seasons instead of just one.
Here are the options the Lions have moving forward:
2025 Signing bonus: $1.2M (Guaranteed)
2025 Option bonus: $3.6M (Guaranteed)
2026 Option bonus: $3.6M (Guaranteed)
2025 Cap hit: $8.4M
2025 Cap spaced freed up: $5.6M
2026 Cap hit: $0
In this method, the Lions take the traditional route and absorb all of the remaining guaranteed money in the immediate season, thus allowing them to start with no contractual debt in 2026.
2025
Signing bonus: $1.2M (Guaranteed)
Option bonus: $3.6M (Guaranteed)
2025 Cap hit: $4.8M
2025 Cap spaced freed up: $9.2M
2026
Option bonus: $3.6M (Guaranteed)
2025 Cap hit: $3.6M
In this method, the Lions can opt to split the cap hit over the next two seasons, thereby increasing their cap space in 2025 by pushing $3.6 million into 2026. Because the Lions can always rollover this money from 2025 to 2026, if not used, there’s little downside to keeping this money available in 2025, as long as they plan ahead for the upcoming cost.
At the end of the day, Ragnow’s retirement leaves the Lions responsible for a total of $8.4M and will free up anywhere from $5.6M to $9.2M in 2025,...
