KC Chiefs: Justin Houston Contract May Cause Misery
With the new development that Justin Houston may not be able to play for the KC Chiefs in 2016, it may be time to look at his contract and decide if he is worth the money.
After Justin Houston‘s 2014 season where he recorded 22 sacks, and was the leagues sack leader, all in Kansas City where happy to see him become the highest paid outside linebacker in the NFL. His contract was for six years and $101 million with $52 million guaranteed.
Keeping Houston in Kansas City was the goal, and now he is staying. Houston, however, is not playing to the level that he is being paid.
Now that Justin Houston might miss all of 2016, is his contract starting to look like a huge problem?
In 2015, Justin Houston recorded seven and a half sacks, and only played in 11 games. That was a huge downgrade after his 22 sack performance in 2014.
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It is not a question that the former Georgia Bulldog is a top tier linebacker and is a constant threat to get to the quarterback. The only issue is that now there is a good chance that he is not going to play a good part of the season, if any in 2016. There’s also no guarantee that he will return in the same form that he was in that stagnant 2014 season.
In comparison according to Spottrac.com, the closest contract to Houston’s is Washington Redskin outside linebacker Ryan Kerrigan. Kerrigan’s contract was for five years $57.5 million. Obviously Kerrigan was not the playmaker in 2014 that Houston was, but in 2015 he recorded nine and a half sacks AND played in every game.
Another comparison is Tampa Bay outside linebacker Lavonte David, who signed a five-year $50 million contract, and in 2015, only had three sacks in 16 games. Obviously Houston has better numbers, but was not able to play in every game like Lavonte David.
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One of the biggest comparisons would have to be with Denver Broncos linebacker Von Miller. He received the franchise tag this year, which will give him $14 million, but I foresee a big pay day in his future. The $14 million that he will receive is still two million less than the $16 million that Justin Houston will be receiving in 2016.
Overall, Justin Houston is a large part of the smothering Kansas City Chiefs defense, but him not being available for the 2016 season, as well as the uncertainty of his skills when he returns, could hopefully lead to a contract restructure.
If Houston is not able to play in 2016, the KC Chiefs will be turning to former first round draft pick Dee Ford, who has only one game where he showed the potential Kansas City saw in him during the draft. That was last season against the San Diego Chargers that was too close for comfort. Ford had three sacks in that game, but it was against a weak Chargers offensive line.
Only time will tell to see what impact Justin Houston will have in 2016, but if his performance does not improve, a restructure might be in order for the KC Chiefs.