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Detroit Lions : 5 Players Who May Not Be Back In 2016

By Randy Glisson II

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Sep 13, 2015; San Diego, CA, USA; Detroit Lions cornerback Rashean Mathis (31) walks off the field after the Lions were beat by the San Diego Chargers 33-28 at Qualcomm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 13, 2015; San Diego, CA, USA; Detroit Lions cornerback Rashean Mathis (31) walks off the field after the Lions were beat by the San Diego Chargers 33-28 at Qualcomm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports /

Rashean Mathis

Rashean Mathis is currently 35 and by the time the 2016 season begins he will be 36 years old. He is a great locker room presence and helped sure up a secondary that was awful upon his arrival.

Mathis played in the first seven games this year and suffered a concussion during a week 7 game against the Minnesota Vikings. He didn’t feel the post concussion symptoms until the Thursday after the Minnesota game. As a result a determination was made to place him on season ending injured reserve.

It would be nice to see Mathis stay on in some capacity with the team, particularly in coaching the defensive backs. He has said that he would like to play one more season if Jim Caldwell is retained as coach, which Caldwell was. However it is not clear if the Lions will hold up their end. Mathis is due to make $1.87 million in 2016, with a small dead cap number of $375k, resulting in a savings of $1.5 million.

Next: Brandon Pettigrew

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