Education
Mathis attended Englewood High School in Jacksonville at the same time as Brett Myers of the Chicago White Sox, and was a student and a letterman in football.
Mathis attended Englewood High School in Jacksonville at the same time as Brett Myers of the Chicago White Sox, and was a student and a letterman in football.
He played college football at Bethune-Cookman University, and was drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the second round of the 2003 NFL Draft. He also played for the Detroit Lions. 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 Mathis enrolled in Bethune-Cookman University, where he played for the Bethune-Cookman Wildcats football team
He did not receive any scholarship offers from larger schools because he broke his leg during high school. Jacksonville Jaguars
Mathis had 81 tackles as a rookie.
He played both safety and cornerback his rookie year.
He converted to cornerback full-time in 2004. Mathis had 2 interceptions in his rookie year and another 10 interceptions combined in the two years following. He had his best year in 2006, collecting 8 interceptions (tied for third in the league) and being voted to the Pro Bowl where he started alongside Champ Bailey.
He and John Henderson were the only Jaguars on the team to attend the Pro Bowl that year.
Mathis had his most significant game as a professional on January 5, 2008 in an AFC Wild Card playoff game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. He had 2 interceptions, returning one for a touchdown.
On December 1, 2008, Mathis sustained a knee injury against the Houston Texans and was put on the injured reserve list, ending his season. 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 Anterior Cruciate Ligament against the Indianapolis Colts, ending his season.
On March 8, 2012, Mathis agreed on a 1-year, $5 million contract with the Jaguars. On March 5, 2013, the Jaguars announced they would not offer Mathis a new contract. Detroit Lions
On August 17, 2013, Mathis signed a one-year contract with the Detroit Lions.
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.
Jaguars franchise records
Most career interceptions: 30
Most career interception return yards: 512
Most career defensive touchdowns: 3
NFL stats
Key
General Practice: games played
COMB: combined tackles
TOTAL: total tackles
Air Service Training: assisted tackles
SACK: sacks
FF: forced fumbles
First Revision: fumble recoveries
First Revision YDS: fumble return yards
INT: interceptions
International Rectifier YDS: interception return yards
AVG International Rectifier : average interception return
Liquefied Natural Gas: longest interception return
Territorial Decoration: interceptions returned for touchdown
Privatdozent : passes defensed
In 2006, Mathis appeared as a celebrity contestant on Wheel of Fortune during NFL Players Week.