Nagging injuries forced Lions center Frank Ragnow to retire at just 29 years old on Monday. The Lions will miss the toughness and tenacity of Ragnow. The retirement will also have some ripple effects on the salary cap for this season.
With the news coming on June 2, the retirement can be treated as a post-June 1 release. In that case, the Lions will have $4.8 million in dead money this season and $3.6 million in dead money next season. Detroit will free up $9.25 million in salary cap space as a result.
Ragnow was set to make $9.25 million in total compensation in 2025, including $9.15 million in base salary. Ragnow had two years left on this four-year, $54 million extension signed back in 2023.
According to Over the Cap, the Lions will have almost $50 million in salary cap space with the Ragnow retirement. Detroit will have some work to do next offseason. They are currently projected to be about $42.6 million over the cap.