KC Chiefs: Justin Houston Will Likely Be Franchise Tagged

It’s no secret that Justin Houston is one of the KC Chiefs‘ best players. Well, Houston still has yet to receive a new contract and it’s been reported by Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk that Houston will likely be signing a franchise tag for the 2015 season.

"His rookie contract has expired, and no meaningful talks have occurred on a long-term deal. The only discussions have entailed numbers far lower than Houston believes he deserves — and that was before he notched 22.0 sacks in 2014.– Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk"

The good news is that Florio reported Houston will “definitely sign [the franchise tag]”, which will make the process easier.

"Look for the Chiefs to apply the franchise tag to Houston during the two-week window that opens on Monday. Then look for Houston to immediately sign the franchise tender, opting to play the year-to-year game that would force the Chiefs to give him a 20-percent raise in 2016 or let him walk — and then a 44-percent raise in 2017 or let him walk.– Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk"

John Dorsey isn’t stupid. He’s well aware that Houston is one of the best defensive not only for the Kansas City Chiefs, but in the entire National Football League as well. Letting Houston sign with someone else would be the stupidest thing he could do.

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"Houston is expected to sign his tender as soon as the Chiefs tag him. With talks stalled between the sides, we’d be stunned if this plays out differently. Coming off a 22-sack campaign of terror, Houston sits atop the to-do list for Andy Reid‘s Chiefs.– Gregg Rosenthal and Marc Sessler of NFL.com"

Let’s wrap up Houston’s time in the NFL, shall we?

He played college football at the University of Georgia and was slated to be a first round pick in the 2011 NFL Draft. Houston, however, failed his drug test during the process and fell to the third round, where the KC Chiefs scooped him up with the 70th overall pick, according to Joel Thorman of SB Nation.

Houston made an immediate impact with the Kansas City Chiefs, as his rookie season alone saw him recording five and a half sacks and forcing and recovering a fumble. Houston started in 10 games his rookie year, but did play in all 16 games in a season where the Chiefs went 7-9 and were pretty much a missed field goal away from making it into the postseason.

Houston’s sophomore campaign in the pros was when people started to notice him a little more. The 2012 season was a complete disaster for the Kansas City Chiefs, but Houston was one of the few shining stars during that horrendous 2-14 season. Houston recorded 10 sacks, forced and recovered a fumble, and had his first (and only) career interception during the 2012 season.

Justin Houston is the heart and soul of the Chiefs defense and hopefully a deal will be worked out to keep him in Kansas City for a long time.

Now the 2013 season was when everyone knew who Justin Houston was. He had 11 sacks, forced one fumble and recovered three fumbles. The 2013 saw the KC Chiefs start the season at 9-0 under John Dorsey and Andy Reid, both in their first seasons with Kansas City.

A large part of the 9-0 start was due to the Chiefs’ stellar defense where Houston and Tamba Hali dominated opposing offenses. The Chiefs’ defense began to struggle in 2013 when Houston sustained an elbow injury and had to sit out for five games.

Of course, 2014 was yet another brilliant season for Justin Houston. He had 22 total sacks on the season, broke Derrick Thomas‘ single season Chiefs sack record, and came half a sack shy of Michael Strahan‘s single season sack record.

So, to sum up, in four seasons with the KC Chiefs, Justin Houston has played in 59 games, started 53, racked up 48.5 sacks, seven forced fumbles, five recovered fumbles, one interception, and 19 defended passes. To say he’s an important player to the Kansas City Chiefs organization is an understatement.

Justin Houston is the heart and soul of the Chiefs defense and hopefully a deal will be worked out to keep him in Kansas City for a long time.

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