The Cincinnati Bengals cut safety Chris Crocker, the team announced Friday.
"It's not a total surprise because we've had conversations about it," Crocker told ESPN."They feel unsure with me coming off of my knee surgery which is fair."
Crocker added, "It's not about me being a bad player or a bad guy, for them it's about durability. I'm not bitter about it because I understand that it's a business decision. Besides, I just got cleared to play last week
and they didn't close the door on me returning."
Crocker tore an anterior cruciate ligament during a 49-31 loss to Buffalo in November 2010 and was placed on injured reserve to finish out that season.
The 32-year-old started all 16 games last year for the Bengals, totaling 3.5 sacks and 63 tackles. He signed a four-year, $10-million contract in 2009 and stood to make $1.917 million next season.
Crocker said he is discussing all of his options with his agent.
