Kansas City Chiefs: Colts good landing spot for Justin Houston
The Kansas City Chiefs made a financial decision when they opted to move on from Justin Houston last week. Houston signed a two-year deal with the Indianapolis Colts and should flourish in Indy.
The Kansas City Chiefs didn’t move on from Justin Houston because he wasn’t talented anymore. They had to release him because A) His contract was eating up a lot of money and B) Injuries were piling up too often for the highly-paid Houston.
The Indianapolis Colts made a wise decision in signing Houston and they’re getting themselves an excellent defensive player. When healthy, Houston is the best defensive player on the field. That was the problem during these last few years in KC though; Houston couldn’t stay healthy.
Last season saw the former Georgia Bulldogs linebacker rack up 28 tackles, 12 quarterback hits, nine sacks, and five forced fumbles in 12 starts. He did miss four games in the regular season due to injury.
Colts are giving Justin Houston a two-year, $24 million contract, per source. https://t.co/gd02EM2YrF
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 21, 2019
The Colts were one of the more surprising teams a season ago, going 10-6 on the year and beating the Texans in the AFC Wild Card Round. Winning that game earned the Colts a date with the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Divisional Round, in which the Chiefs curb-stomped the Colts to advance to the championship game.
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Even with the blowout loss to KC, the Colts exceeded everyone’s expectations. They started 2018 with a 1-5 record, but went on to finish 10-6 and earn a playoff berth. It was a fun ride for Indy and their defense played a huge part in that electric season.
Justin Houston now joins Darius Leonard on defense, who was an absolute wrecking ball last year. The two will make a fun pair and make the Colts a threat to win the AFC South and to make a run in the postseason next year.
Houston going to the Colts isn’t shocking, as Chris Ballard, their general manager, once worked in the Chiefs front office. He obviously had ties to Houston and that helps when signing key free agents.
While it’s unfortunate that things didn’t work out for Justin Houston in Kansas City, releasing him was a move that had to be made. He wasn’t living up to the hype of the contract he signed after his 22 sack performance in 2014 and the Chiefs had to shed some of their expensive players.
Next. All-Time Chiefs Leaders in Sacks. dark
The Chiefs and Colts play each other in 2019, so hopefully Justin Houston doesn’t make Patrick Mahomes‘ life a living hell when these two teams do meet.