Chiefs Cut Brandon Flowers; Lions part with Chris Houston

Two starting NFL cornerbacks have just had their contracts terminated, and one of them is a former Pro Bowler.

The Kansas City Chiefs have cut Brandon Flowers.

Flowers used to be a Pro Bowl-caliber corner for the Chiefs, but he didn't transition well into new defensive coordinator Bob Sutton's press-heavy scheme, and he got burned in press coverage frequently while allowing quarterbacks to compile a 103.9 passer rating against him in 13 starts.

Flowers had three years left on a six-year, $49.35 million deal prior to being released.

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The Detroit Lions have moved on from cornerback Chris Houston, though they could eventually re-sign him if he's able to recover from a recent surgical procedure.

"Chris Houston underwent a significant medical procedure this spring," the Lions said in a statement. "Both parties felt that the best course of action at this time is to release Chris and allow him to rehabilitate his injury away from the Club.  The Lions appreciate Chris' contributions over the years and wish him the best in his recovery."

The seven-year veteran, who’s been a starter in the Lions’ secondary the last four seasons after the team traded for him before the 2010 season, has been out all offseason after undergoing toe surgery.

He signed a five-year, $25-million contract with the Lions last spring, but is coming off one of the worst seasons of his career. He missed four games because of toe and foot injuries, but struggled even before the injuries started to plague him.

The 29-year-old had 44 tackles and two interceptions in 12 games last season.