Will Frank Ragnow Become NFL's Highest-Paid Center?
In a recent SI All Lions roundtable article, the question was posed regarding who is the best player on the Detroit Lions' 2021 roster.
Several readers weighed in and commented that center Frank Ragnow should be in the conversation, based on his play the past couple of seasons.
The 2018 first-round pick cemented his place in the hearts of fans when he completed an entire game against the Green Bay Packers last season with a fractured throat.
Ragnow signaled to his teammates early that he lost his voice in the NFC North divisional matchup. He then did not miss a single snap the remainder of the game.
"He came up to me early in the game, and was very hoarse and kind of faint sounding and was like, 'I can’t really talk right now. I can’t really talk, just to let you know. Just make sure you’re communicating with everybody up front even more than (you) normally would,'" former Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford said regarding Ragnow. "So, it was kind of crazy, but it was good. Didn’t have any communication issues the rest of the game, really."
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According to The Athletic, it is going to cost the Lions $12.657 million to pick up the center's fifth-year option.
Corey Linsley is currently the highest-paid center in the league. The Los Angeles Chargers center signed a five-year, $62.5 million agreement back in March. The contract will pay Linsley $26 million over his first two seasons with his new team.
In 2019, Ragnow allowed just two sacks on 996 offensive snaps, and earned a 74.9 grade from Pro Football Focus -- ranking sixth among 38 qualified centers.
Last season, Ragnow did not allow a sack in 929 snaps, and only had three penalties called against him all season. He earned a PFF grade of 80.3.
Knowing the type of players head coach Dan Campbell will covet throughout Detroit's rebuild, should the Lions make the 24-year-old the highest-paid center in the league, if and when he is offered a long-term contract extension?
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