The Detroit Lions have released Chris Houston one year after signing him to a $25 million contract with a $6.5 million signing bonus for him to become their No. 1 cornerback.

Houston had four years remaining on his deal and $5.2 million of dead money still sitting on the table for the Lions. 

Houston had injury issues in 2013 and was a no-show during OTAs, as well as the Lions' mandatory minicamp earlier this week.

Houston was set to make $4.8 million against the cap this season, almost four times as much as the next highest-paid cornerback on the Lions against the cap this year.

The Lions are expected to start Darius Slay and Rashean Mathis at the two cornerback slots.

Nick Fairley is taking the Detroit Lions' decision not to exercise their fifth-year option on his contract as motivation.

The Lions surprisingly passed on paying Fairley just $5.5 million in 2014 and keeping him on the roster for an extra year at a pretty cheap cost.

“I kind of said it's a good thing, kind of,” Fairley said per Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free-Press. “It kind of will put me into a new contract earlier than (other) guys coming out in my draft. They're picking up guys' fifth-year option, that gets me into a new contract. That's the way I look at it.”