Detroit Lions cornerback Rashean Mathis announced on Tuesday that he is retiring from the NFL after 13 seasons.
According to Pro Football Talk, Mathis began thinking about retiring after the 2015 season. He missed the last nine games this past season due to a concussion. After the season, he said that he has recovered from the concussion and that it wasn’t a factor in his decision to retire. Mathis said that Lions coach Jim Caldwell is the only coach that would play for.
The Lions might not have had room on the roster for Mathis, who was due a $500,000 signing bonus on the third day of the new league year next month, because Nevin Lawson and Quandre Diggs played well while filling in for Mathis, the Detroit Free Press reports.
"(It's been) an awesome 13 years," Mathis said, NFL.com notes. "And I think it's time for me to hang up the cleats. The lord has blessed me with a long career...I think it's time. It's time for me to hang up the cleats. My last three years in Detroit have been amazing for me. Being with (Jim) Caldwell these last two years, I couldn't ask for anything more."
Mathis was drafted in 2003 by the Jacksonville Jaguars, who released him after the 2012 season. He signed with the Lions in 2013. He had 636 tackles, 32 interceptions, eight forced fumbles, five fumble recoveries, and one sack in 175 games in his 13-year career, according to ESPN. In 2006, he was selected as a First-Team All-Pro corner.
The Lions have Lawson and Darius Slay as cornerbacks with Mathis retiring, but they still need depth at the cornerback position.
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