Jason Kelce, Frank Ragnow
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Jason Kelce is defending a retired NFL player
On X, Kelce said Frank Ragnow should not have to return part of his signing bonus that he received in his contract with the Detroit Lions
Ragnow, 29, retired from the league in June 2025
Jason Kelce is going to bat for Frank Ragnow.
On Tuesday, March 31, the Monday Night Countdown analyst weighed in on the news that the former Detroit Lions center will have to give back part of his signing bonus in the wake of his retirement from the NFL at age 29.
In a lengthy explanation on X, Kelce pushed back on the Lions’ longheld policy.
“This is interesting,” Kelce, 38, began in his defense of Ragnow. “It feels like it’s obvious that Frank retired because he was physically fighting through injuries and pain, and it got to a point that he no longer could play the game in an enjoyable, effective, or healthy way. The whole purpose of a signing bonus is to be a guarantee up front that insures a salary irregardless of performance metrics, or most importantly injuries that could compromise your career in the future.”
Kelce continued, “What makes this interesting is that Frank likely retired ‘voluntarily,’ meaning, he wasn’t declared medically unfit to play by a doctor, which allows the team to ask for a prorated amount of his signing bonus back. Had he been medically deemed unfit to play football by a doctor before he retired, the team wouldn’t be able to recoup part of the signing bonus.”
Detroit Lions Center Frank Ragnow (77) looks on before the NFL game between the Detroit Lions and the Minnesota Vikings on September 25th, 2022, at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, MN.
Detroit Lions Center Frank Ragnow (77) looks on before the NFL game between the Detroit Lions and the Minnesota Vikings on September 25th, 2022, at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, MN.
Ragnow was selected by the Lions in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft and signed a $54 million extension for four years in 2021, including a $6 million signing bonus on the deal, according to MLive. In June 2025, he announced that he would be retiring from the league in part to "prioritize" health and his "family's future."
The Minnesota native battled multiple injuries over his years with the team, and it is Kelce’s take that his signing bonus should have been untouched.
“So while I get that the team has a right to ask for money back, in the spirit of the agreement, I think it’s bulls---- Frank is being asked to return money,” Kelce said in part. “This was clearly a player that the game had physically taken its toll on, and his body was clearly no longer holding up to the rigors of the NFL."
Lions team president Rod Wood has not disclosed how much Ragnow had to return, but he explained the policy by saying it’s “not paying back their money, they’re returning our money," according to the Detroit Free-Press.
Kelce is not alone in his opinion about the Lions’ policy.
Former Lions linebacker Alex Anzalone also questioned the franchise — which has been through similar returning-signing-bonus situations with Hall of Famer Barry Sanders and former wide receiver Calvin Johnson.
“[Ragnow] played through a fractured throat, one week post meniscus clean up w/ stiches barely out, inoperable/unrepairable toe, etc. ... ‘Hey, let me get that prorated signing bonus back,’ ” Anzalone wrote on X.
Last season, Ragnow tried to return to the team but was deemed ineligible after failing his physical due to a hamstring injury, per MLive.