DETROIT – The Detroit Lions and Frank Ragnow have reportedly agreed to a four-year extension that will make him the highest-paid center in the NFL.
Lions center Frank Ragnow agrees to 4-year extension, making him highest-paid center in NFL, per source. He had two years left on his deal.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) May 6, 2021
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Ragnow was the team’s first-round pick -- 20th overall -- in the 2018 draft out of Arkansas. He’s become one of the best offensive linemen in the NFL his first three years, and the Lions made extending him a priority this offseason.
Last season, even though the team was well out of the playoff race, Ragnow played through a fractured throat. He has started 45 of 48 games since joining the team in 2018.
The new Lions regime can now slot Ragnow in the center of an offensive line that includes left tackle Taylor Decker and right tackle Penei Sewell on the outside.
Decker received a $60 million extension last offseason, and Sewell is the team’s most recent first-round pick. Both should be locked up through the duration of Ragnow’s extension.
General manager Brad Holmes and head coach Dan Campbell are clearly trying to build this roster up from the trenches. The team is lacking in talent on both sides of the ball, but ownership has already made bolstering both lines an early priority.