Six and a half months removed from major knee surgery, Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback Rashean Mathis says that he was medically cleared by Dr. James Andrews on Monday and plans to participate in next week's minicamp.
"I did some jumps and stuff at the Andrews Institute," Mathis said, according to Brent Woronoff of the Daytona Beach News-Journal. "He yanked and pulled on my knee and said everything is looking great, just keep strengthening the knee.
"I'm sure we're going to take things slow, because we still have a few months before the actual season starts, but he has cleared me to participate with the team."
Mathis has started 125 games with the Jaguars over the last nine seasons, totaling 498 tackles, one sack, 30 interceptions and 78 passes defensed. Mathis went to the Pro Bowl in 2006, the last time he played a full 16-game season. He tore his anterior cruciate ligament against the Indianapolis Colts last November while he was playing out the final year of his previous contract. The Jaguars re-signed Mathis this offseason to a one-year, $2.5-million contract that includes $2.5 million in incentives.