It's the beginning of June, and we have a little way to go before the Detroit Lions are back playing football again. Before that happens, there's concern that the Lions are experiencing contract issues with players for the first time. 

Specifically with Frank Ragnow. The All-Pro center has not been present at voluntary OTAs, and there are reports that he's looking for a new contract. 

This had an interesting effect on Lions fans that I just did not expect in a million years. Some fans have decided that Ragnow is expendable and that he's anti-Lions culture. It's truly crazy to see since he's long been considered the epitome of the culture. Especially since he constantly plays hurt and is always referred to as a great teammate and player. 

When I looked a little more into the fan complaints, they mostly center around the idea that Ragnow wants a whole new deal despite being a top-five paid center, and that's not fair since the Lions are going to need that money in order to sign Aidan Hutchinson, Jahmyr Gibbs, Jameson Williams, Brian Branch, Sam LaPorta and Jack Campbell to big extensions. 

That's likely not the case. Ragnow probably doesn't want a whole brand new deal that makes him the highest-paid center, but what he might be looking for is both security and better cash flow. 

We talked with cap analyst Joshua Queipo about Ragnow's contract, and he talked about how light Ragnow's deal is at the moment. 

"His cash flow for 2025 is only $9.25 million. That's pretty light for how good he is. He's probably worth around $14.5 to 15 million. So $9.25 million this year and $11.75 million next year with no guaranteed money is a pretty stark discount." 

So what do the Lions do? It's not as deep as it seems. The Lions could very well decide to add some years to his deal, but what Queipo suggests is that the Lions may push some of his money up front to him rather than sign him to an extension that won't start until he's 31 years old. 

"The Lions could move some cash from 2026 forward to reward Ragnow for great play through some tough bumps and bruises last year. I would propose a $3.25 million acceleration, getting him to $12.5 million in cash this year and dropping his 2026 salary to $9.5 million. They can also make an extension discussion next year, a handshake agreement as part of this move.

This would make Ragnow the 2nd highest paid center in the league this year in cash and follow recent precedents Travis Kelce and Derrick Henry set in recent years for raises between $2-4 million. All of this would cost Detroit $4.65 million in cash and cap this year."

When you see it like that, it's not that big of a move for the Lions. It's more so that Ragnow is looking for a little more security, and frankly, no pun intended, he deserves it for the All-Pro pay and the fact that he continually plays through injuries. 

We'll see what happens before long. Lions head coach Dan Campbell says he's not worried about contract holdouts or anything, and the Lions are in a good place.

"No. I think what’s great is that any player that I talk to, I have a relationship with, and there’s an open line of communication. Whatever I say to those players, I’m not going to say to you guys. I never will. There’s, communication that has been great, so I’m not. Listen, I’m not worried about anything. I know this, we’re in late May. Is it even June yet? I don’t even – we’re not even in June. So, life’s good. We’re going to be just fine.”

If he's not worried, you probably shouldn't be either. 

Update: Welp…

A.I. Lions stories are fooling thousands on social media, Calvin Johnson was not hired to be a coach, Jameson Williams is not feuding with Elon Musk

Artificial Intelligence is growing rapidly in the world, and one of the most concerning developments is that it's fueling misinformation online. Over the weekend, that misinformation found its way to my family when an uncle asked me about the Detroit Lions hiring Calvin Johnson to be an "assistant offensive coach" recently. It was something he […]