Detroit Lions defensive end Kyle Vanden Bosch and guard Stephen Peterman became cap casualties earlier this week as the team elected to release the pair or veterans.
Both Vanden Bosch and Peterman were scheduled to earn roster bonuses in March and the team elected to release them now instead of drawing the process out any further.
“We tried to help them,” Lions general manager Martin Mayhew said, via Justin Rogers of MLive.com. “Peterman specifically asked if we were going to make a move like that, (release him) as soon as we could. We wanted to try to give him an opportunity to catch somewhere else.”
However, Mayhew didn’t rule out the possibility of either player returning to Detroit at a reduced salary.
“I’ll never say never,” Mayhew said.