Lions WR Nate Burleson understands decision to release him
By Mike Dyce
The Detroit Lions made a pair of roster moves releasing both wide receiver Nate Burleson and safety Louis Delmas. The move saved the Lions $11.5 million in cap space and given Burleson’s recent injury history it makes a lot of sense, and the veteran understands it.
“I just thought to myself, ‘It’s either, or,’” Burleson told Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press when he saw the missed calls from the Lions. “Maybe because I prepared myself for both, but I was like, ‘He’s either going to offer me some money or he’s going to tell me it’s been a fun run.’… I finally got up and made the call and the conversation ensued.”
“They probably just thought about the number financially and then probably thought about the season and said, ‘If Nate’s healthy, yeah, he can probably give us 70 to 80 catches, but if he’s not then it’s going to be tough to deal with,’” Burleson said. “I think it hurt the team this year when I went down. You saw a really significant drop in just how we were able to operate as an offense because I was such a big part. But it’s a hard decision for them to make, but I can’t blame them for making it.”