Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell said Friday that the team has had two players absent from the facility throughout their offseason workout program.
Campbell did not name who the two players were, and explained that both players had been communicating with the team throughout the process.
He downplayed the absences of both players, though it appears that both Alex Anzalone and Frank Ragnow are not with the team for reasons related to their current contracts.
Anzalone is entering the final year of his contract, while Ragnow has two years left on the contract extension he signed with the team in 2021. In 2025, he will make $9.15 million in base salary. Detroit Free Press beat writer Dave Birkett reported that the center is uhappy with the current state of his deal.
"Ragnow also is unhappy with the extension he signed in 2021 that made him the highest-paid center in the NFL," Birkett wrote. "He has two years left on his deal and is due to make $9.15 million this fall."
Though Ragnow was made the highest-paid center in the league at the time of his deal, his contract now ranks fourth at his position in terms of average annual value, and he does not have any guaranteed money over the final two years of his current contract.
He remains one of the best in the league at his position, and was Pro Football Focus' highest-graded run-blocking center with a 90.9 grade in 2024.
Detroit finished its first session of OTAs with Friday's practice, and will conduct a second session June 4-6 before wrapping up workouts until training camp begins in July.
