Rashean Jamil Mathis (; born August 27, 1980) is a former
American football
American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...
cornerback
A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such offensive running plays as sweeps and reverses. They create tur ...
in the
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...
(NFL). He played
college football
College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States.
Unlike most ...
at
Bethune–Cookman University
Bethune–Cookman University (BCU or Bethune–Cookman) is a Private university, private Historically black colleges and universities, historically black university in Daytona Beach, Florida. Bethune–Cookman University is affiliated with the U ...
, and was drafted by the
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division. The team play ...
in the second round of the
2003 NFL Draft
The 2003 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League (NFL) teams selected amateur college football players. The draft is known officially as the "NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting" and has been conducted annually since 1936 NF ...
. He also played for the
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...
and is regarded as one of the best defensive players in the history of the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Early years
Mathis attended
Englewood High School in Jacksonville at the same time as
Brett Myers
Brett Allen Myers (born August 17, 1980) is an American singer and former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Phillies, Houston Astros, Chicago White Sox, and Cleveland Indians. Born and rai ...
of the
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and p ...
, and was a student and a letterman in football. In football, he was a second team All-State, All-Conference, and an All-City honoree. Also, claims being recruited out of high school for baseball was highlight of his athletic career. Central Florida Community College and Indian River Community Colleges offered him scholarships to play center field.
College career
Mathis enrolled in
Bethune-Cookman University, where he played for the
Bethune–Cookman Wildcats football
The Bethune–Cookman Wildcats football team represents Bethune–Cookman University in the sport of college football. The Wildcats compete in the Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association ...
team. He did not receive any scholarship offers from larger schools because he broke his leg during high school.
He currently holds the record for the most interceptions in a single season and in a career in Division 1 collegiate football history.(2011)
In 2002, he won the
Buck Buchanan Award
The Buck Buchanan Award is awarded annually to the most outstanding defensive player in the Division I Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA) of college football, and was first given in 1995 after the Walter Payton Award was d ...
for Division I-AA (now FCS) defensive player of the year.
Professional career
Mathis attended the NFL Scouting Combine and performed all of the combine and positional drills. At the conclusion of the pre-draft process, Mathis was projected to be a second or third round pick by NFL draft experts and scouts. He was ranked as the top free safety prospect by DraftScout.com and was ranked as the second best safety by NFL analyst
Mike Mayock
Michael Francis Mayock (born August 14, 1958) is a former American football executive and former player who served as the general manager of the Las Vegas Raiders of the National Football League (NFL) from 2019 to 2021. Mayock was a safety with ...
.
Jacksonville Jaguars
The
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division. The team play ...
selected Mathis in the second round (39th overall) of the
2003 NFL Draft
The 2003 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League (NFL) teams selected amateur college football players. The draft is known officially as the "NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting" and has been conducted annually since 1936 NF ...
. Mathis was the second safety selected in 2003, behind
Marcus Trufant
Marcus Lavon Trufant (born December 25, 1980) is a former American football player who was a cornerback in the National Football League (NFL) for ten seasons. He played college football for Washington State University, and was chosen by the S ...
(11th overall).
He was also the eighth defensive back drafted in 2003 and was the first player selected from Bethune-Cookman since
Antwuan Wyatt
Antwuan Bernard Wyatt (born July 18, 1975) is a former American football wide receiver. He played one season for the Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles com ...
was drafted in
1997
File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; ''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of t ...
. Mathis also became the third highest draft pick from Bethune-Cookman, behind defensive tackle
Booker Reese
Booker Reese (born September 20, 1959) is a former American football defensive end who played four seasons for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Los Angeles Rams from 1982 to 1985 in the National Football League (NFL). Although not picked until th ...
(32nd overall,
1982
Events January
* January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00).
* January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street bridges, 14th Street Bridge in ...
) and defensive back
Terry Williams (37th overall,
1988
File:1988 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The oil platform Piper Alpha explodes and collapses in the North Sea, killing 165 workers; The USS Vincennes (CG-49) mistakenly shoots down Iran Air Flight 655; Australia celebrates its Australian ...
).
On July 24, 2003, the Jacksonville Jaguars signed Mathis to a four-year,
$3.17 million contract.
Mathis entered training camp slated as a starting safety. Head coach
Jack Del Rio
Jack Louis Del Rio Jr. (born April 4, 1963) is an American football coach who is the defensive coordinator for the Washington Commanders of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football as a linebacker at the University of South ...
named Mathis the starting free safety to begin the regular season, alongside strong safety
Donovan Darius.
He made his professional regular season debut and first career start in the
Jacksonville Jaguars' season-opener at the
Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. T ...
and made two combined tackles, a pass deflection, and his first career interception off a pass by quarterback
Jake Delhomme
Jake Christopher Delhomme (; born January 10, 1975) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL). Delhomme played college football at Louisiana, then known as the University of Southwestern Louisian ...
in their 24-23 loss. In Week 6, Mathis was converted to cornerback due to injuries to
Jason Craft and
Kiwaukee Thomas
Kiwaukee Sanchez Thomas ee-WA-kee(born June 19, 1977 in Warner Robins, Georgia) is a retired American National Football League (NFL) and Canadian Football League (CFL) cornerback who is currently the Head Football Coach at Middle Georgia State U ...
. In Week 10, he collected a season-high nine solo tackles during a 28-23 victory against the
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) South division. Since the 2008 ...
. He started in all 16 games in
2003
File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry into Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an epidemic in China, and was a precursor to SARS-CoV-2; A des ...
and made a career-high 81 combined tackles (71 solo), nine pass deflections, and two interceptions.
Mathis entered training camp slated as the No. 1 starting cornerback after
Fernando Bryant
Fernando Antoneyo Bryant (born March 26, 1977) is a former American football cornerback of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars 26th overall in the 1999 NFL Draft. He played college football at Alabama.
...
departed in free agency. Head coach Jack Del Rio named Mathis and
Dewayne Washington
Dewayne Neron Washington (born December 27, 1972) is an American former football cornerback in the National Football League (NFL). He played for the Minnesota Vikings, the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Jacksonville Jaguars, and the Kansas City Chief ...
the starting cornerbacks to begin the regular season.
He had his best year in 2006, collecting eight interceptions (tied for third in the league) and being voted to the
Pro Bowl
The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (starting in 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's star players.
The format has changed thro ...
where he started alongside
Champ Bailey
Roland "Champ" Bailey Jr. (born June 22, 1978) is an American former professional football player who was a cornerback in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Georgia Bulldogs, where he earned consensus All-A ...
. He and
John Henderson were the only Jaguars on the team to attend the Pro Bowl that year.
On August 24, 2005, the Jacksonville Jaguars signed Mathis to a five-year, $25.50 million contract extension that includes $9.40 million guaranteed.
Mathis had his most significant game as a professional on January 5, 2008 in an AFC Wild Card playoff game against the
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...
. He had two interceptions, returning one for a touchdown.
On December 1, 2008, Mathis sustained a knee injury against the
Houston Texans
The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division, and play their home ga ...
and was put on the injured reserve list, ending his season.
On November 16, 2009, Mathis injured his groin while breaking up a pass in a win over the New York Jets. He would only play in one other game during the 2009 season, missing the rest because of the lingering injury.
On November 13, 2011, Mathis tore his ACL against the
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) South division. Since the 2008 ...
, ending his season.
On March 8, 2012, Mathis agreed on a one-year, $5 million contract with the Jaguars.
On March 5, 2013, the Jaguars announced they would not offer Mathis a new contract.
Detroit Lions
![Rashean Mathis 2014](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/56/Rashean_Mathis_2014.jpg)
On August 17, 2013, Mathis signed a one-year contract with the
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...
. He re-signed with the Lions on April 14, 2014. On March 19, 2015, the Lions re-signed Mathis to a two-year, $3.5 million contract.
On February 16, 2016, Mathis announced his retirement.
On April 13, 2016, Mathis signed a one-day contract to retire as a member of the
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division. The team play ...
.
Jaguars franchise records
* Most career interceptions: 30
* Most career interception return yards: 512
* Most career defensive touchdowns: 3
* Most career passes defended: 99
NFL statistics
Key
* GP: games played
* COMB: combined tackles
* TOTAL: total tackles
* AST: assisted tackles
* SACK: sacks
* FF: forced fumbles
* FR: fumble recoveries
* FR YDS: fumble return yards
* INT: interceptions
* IR YDS: interception return yards
* AVG IR: average interception return
* LNG: longest interception return
* TD: interceptions returned for touchdown
* PD: passes defensed
In the media
In 2006, Mathis appeared as a celebrity contestant on
Wheel of Fortune The Wheel of Fortune or ''Rota Fortunae'' has been a concept and metaphor since ancient times referring to the capricious nature of Fate. Wheel of Fortune may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Art
* ''The Wheel of Fortune'' (Burne-Jo ...
during ''NFL Players Week''.
References
External links
Detroit Lions bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mathis, Rashean
1980 births
Living people
Engelwood High School (Florida) alumni
Players of American football from Jacksonville, Florida
American football cornerbacks
American football safeties
Bethune–Cookman Wildcats football players
Jacksonville Jaguars players
Detroit Lions players
American Conference Pro Bowl players