Lions cut long snapper Muhlbach on his 40th birthday

The Detroit Lions informed long snapper Don Muhlbach on Tuesday - his 40th birthday - that he's being released.

"Dude's a pro," head coach Dan Campbell said, according to the Detroit Free Press' Dave Birkett. "He's an even better person. … I hate it, man. This is the hardest time."

Muhlbach is one of the NFL's oldest active players. He joined the Lions in 2004 after a brief preseason stint with the Baltimore Ravens and spent the next 17 years in Detroit.

Muhlbach snapped 15 game-winning field goals, five game-winning extra points, and only had one punt blocked in his 17-year run with the Lions. His 260 games with Detroit is the eighth most in NFL history for a player with one team, per Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com.

"It was time," Campbell said when asked why the Lions chose to part ways, per Birkett. "It's time."