{"id":846177,"date":"2026-04-01T02:31:10","date_gmt":"2026-04-01T02:31:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/846177\/"},"modified":"2026-04-01T02:31:10","modified_gmt":"2026-04-01T02:31:10","slug":"lions-wood-on-retirement-decision-successor-vision-and-not-being-concerned-about-optics-of-reclaiming-signing-bonus-money","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/846177\/","title":{"rendered":"Lions’ Wood on retirement decision, successor vision, and not being concerned about optics of reclaiming signing bonus money"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Phoenix, Ariz. \u2014 On Tuesday afternoon, in a not-so-quiet corner of the Arizona Biltmore lobby, Detroit Lions outgoing president Rod Wood met with a small contingent of reporters who had traveled to cover the annual league meeting.<\/p>\n

This was the second time Wood talked this week, initially conducting a wide-ranging interview with the Detroit Free Press, where he addressed just about any question we reasonably could have had for him.<\/p>\n

Still, we tried to dig a little deep.<\/p>\n

Wood reflected on his decision to step down this offseason, what he viewed as his greatest successes and failures, what he\u2019ll miss most about the job, and the role he\u2019ll have in helping find his replacement.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ll come back to all that in a moment.<\/p>\n

More interesting, at least based on the social media reaction earlier in the day, was the Freep\u2019s reporting that the Lions had recouped a portion of retired center Frank Ragnow\u2019s signing bonus.<\/p>\n

Deja vu.<\/p>\n

Despite taking a similar approach with All-Pro receiver Calvin Johnson a decade earlier, resulting in a nasty, years-long rift between the franchise and Hall of Famer, the Lions opted to pursue the same path with Ragnow after he decided to step away last offseason.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur precedent goes all the way back to Barry Sanders,\u201d Wood told the Free Press. \u201cAnd if Barry Sanders paid back money. \u2026 And I think the reality is, they\u2019re not paying back their money, they\u2019re returning our money, cause they were paid in advance for services that they hadn\u2019t completed.\u201d<\/p>\n

The debate isn\u2019t whether the Lions have the right to reclaim money, because, contractually, they absolutely do, but whether its the right approach in the this situation. That was the same contention with Johnson\u2019s situation.<\/p>\n

Wood warned of a slippery slope.<\/p>\n

\u201cOnce you don\u2019t do it with somebody, even a small amount, it makes it difficult to get the bigger amount,\u201d Wood told the Free Press. \u201cAnd it\u2019s really, it\u2019s the Lions\u2019 money, it\u2019s not the player\u2019s money.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Ragnow news brought about a harsh reaction from some former players, including Jason Kelce and former teammates Quandre Diggs and Alex Anzalone.<\/p>\n

\u201cFrank was known for being hurt and playing through injuries most players wouldn\u2019t play through constantly,\u201d Kelce wrote on Twitter. \u201cBroken foot, a torn pec, multiple knee injuries, back issues. There was always something, and I\u2019m sure he was continuously dealing with multiple ailments to try and continue playing the game. His body clearly had deteriorated to a degree that made football no longer a viable option, physically, and probably mentally. In my opinion, the signing bonus is supposed to protect players from future physical ailments limiting their availability on the field, that\u2019s one of the reasons you want more guaranteed money upfront.<\/p>\n

\u201dSo while I get that the team has a right to ask for money back, in the spirit of the agreement, I think it\u2019s bullshit Frank is being asked to return money,\u201d Kelce continued. \u201cThis 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

Anzalone, who had his own contractual disputes with the Lions, was more concise with his messaging.<\/p>\n

\u201cPlayed through fractured throat, one week post meniscus clean up (with) stitches barely out, inoperable\/unrepairable toe, etc.. \u2018Hey let me get that prorated signing bonus back.\u2019 \u201cDo business as business is being done.\u201d<\/p>\n

As with most things, the fan base reaction was split, with some defending the team and others questioning the approach.<\/p>\n

I asked Wood if he had studied or considered how other teams approached similar situations and if there was any concern the practice might be viewed as a black eye for the organization. He wasn\u2019t interested in discussing the issue further.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t really have much more to say than I\u2019ve said, other than I\u2019ll just say, I really don\u2019t spend too much time looking at what other teams do, and I don\u2019t imagine they spend too much time looking at what we do,\u201d Wood said. \u201cWe have to do what\u2019s right for our organization, and if I worried about optics, I wouldn\u2019t do a lot of things. But I\u2019m very comfortable with where we are, and every situation\u2019s been handled separately and differently, and I don\u2019t have anything else to say.\u201d<\/p>\n

Like with Johnson, the Lions only sought to reclaim a portion of the $3 million they were eligible to take back from Ragnow.<\/p>\n

Here are some other notes from Wood\u2019s Tuesday session with reporters.<\/p>\n

\u25cf Wood intends to stay on through the search for his replacement, as well as the onboarding process. Once candidates emerge, potentially as soon as April, they\u2019ll meet with a panel consisting of owner Sheila Hamp, ownership advisor Chris Spielman, chair William Clay Ford Jr., chief people officer Lindsay Verstegen and Wood.<\/p>\n

Wood said he hopes general manager Brad Holmes and coach Dan Campbell also have an opportunity to weigh in on the process.<\/p>\n

The focus is finding an experienced COO or CEO with \u201cthe right kind of executive presence and leadership skills.\u201d Wood said it doesn\u2019t need to be someone with a football background \u2014 an unintentionally humorous throwback to his own introductory press conference \u2014 but that would be a bonus.<\/p>\n

Wood\u2019s retirement plan is simple: To settle in Florida with his wife and spend more time with friends family. He said he\u2019ll miss the camaraderie of the position, traveling with the team, dinners on the road, and the impossible-to-replicate experience of being in the locker room after a big win.<\/p>\n

\u25cf In terms of his proudest moments: Winning back-to-back division titles, the thrill of two playoff victories at Ford Field, and the process of identifying Holmes and Campbell in the search for new leadership in 2021 led the way.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think taking a chance on Dan and Brad, and hiring two guys that had never done the job before, never worked together, but believing that we had the right people for Detroit, that\u2019s a big high,\u201d Wood said.<\/p>\n

In terms of lows, Wood bemoaned how long it took to find his footing in his role, as well as embracing some of the league\u2019s COVID-19 protocols, including vaccines, without pushing back and asking more questions.<\/p>\n

\u25cf With the upcoming game in Germany, Wood said he still doesn\u2019t know the date or the opponent, but like many in the organization, he\u2019s expecting something in early November.<\/p>\n

The team also isn\u2019t anticipating a bye week immediately after that international contest. The only request Wood has put in with the league is to not have a second Thursday game directly after Thanksgiving, like they\u2019ve had the past two years.<\/p>\n

\u201cAssuming this international game in Munich might be in November \u2014 because I think the games in Germany have been in November \u2014 and then the thing about flying back, playing a game, playing Thanksgiving and playing the Thursday afterwards, it’s really tough on the players and travel,\u201d Wood said. \u201cSo, that’s the one thing I’ve requested, and hopefully I’ve made my case. The downside is we’ve played that game two years in a row, and it’s been the No.1 and No. 2-rated game on Amazon, so I’ve got that fact working against me.”<\/p>\n

Wood does not see the Lions drawing a second international game this year, as an away opponent, but didn\u2019t rule it out.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would never say never, but no one\u2019s brought it up to me,\u201d Wood said. \u201cI\u2019m hoping they would have brought it up if that was gonna happen. So I don\u2019t think that\u2019s likely.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Phoenix, Ariz. \u2014 On Tuesday afternoon, in a not-so-quiet corner of the Arizona Biltmore lobby, Detroit Lions outgoing…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":846178,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2071],"tags":[146,113,2506,7,147,6],"class_list":{"0":"post-846177","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-detroit-lions","8":"tag-detroit","9":"tag-detroit-lions","10":"tag-detroitlions","11":"tag-football","12":"tag-lions","13":"tag-nfl"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116327113350702359","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/846177","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=846177"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/846177\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/846178"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=846177"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=846177"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=846177"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}