Stephen Tulloch Released by Lions: Latest Details, Comments and Reaction

The Detroit Lions released veteran linebacker Stephen Tulloch on Tuesday after five years with the team, per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. 

Rapoport showed the team's statement in regard to the 31-year-old's release:   

The move was officially processed on Wednesday, per Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle.

Tulloch was set to make $5.5 million in 2016, the final season of a five-year, $25.5 million deal he signed in 2012 after coming over from the Tennessee Titans in 2011, per Spotrac. 

In his five years with the Lions, he recorded 340 solo tackles and 10 sacks, and Pro Football Focus recognized him with second-team All-NFL honors in 2011. 

But his career was derailed in 2014, when he tore his ACL while celebrating a sack in a Week 3 matchup against the Green Bay Packers, ending his season. 

Tulloch managed to come back and record 108 total tackles to go with one sack, but his struggles in pass coverage saw him fall out of favor with the organization. Lions general manager Bob Quinn revealed at the league's spring meetings that the team would try to trade Tulloch, and if it couldn't find a trade partner, it would release him after the league year began on March 9, per Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. 

The linebacker reminded everyone just how long he was waiting for that release when speaking with Birkett on June 9:

"

It’s been a long journey. Obviously, I was told back in February that the team kind of wanted to go in a younger direction, which is understandable, but we had some things to work out in between, between that, that’s why kind of things haven’t really unfolded. But hopefully we can resolve things in the next couple days hopefully and kind of get things under wrap and we can kind of finalize things.

"

The Lions didn't deal or cut Tulloch in a "couple days," though they told him he didn't need to come to training camp, according to Rapoport (via Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk). 

With training camps beginning in a couple of weeks, Tulloch can now officially start looking for a new team to play with in 2016, though the Lions didn't do him much of a favor in waiting this long to release him. 

Given his past success in the league, though, Tulloch shouldn't have much of a problem signing with a new team this summer, as he'll be a prime target for rosters looking for veteran help at the linebacker position. 

Stats courtesy of Pro-Football-Reference.com.