Kansas City Chiefs: Justin Houston Worth his New Contract?

By Dan Schmelzer | Jul 15, 2015

With the deadline for a contract extension quickly approaching, the Kansas City Chiefs and star outside linebacker Justin Houston agreed to a long-term extension late Wednesday morning. The deal was first reported by Adam Schefter of ESPN, is set for six-years and worth up to $101 million, with $52.5 guaranteed.

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Houston’s deal with the Chiefs is the largest in NFL history for a linebacker, and is the second-most money ever received by any defensive player, trailing only the six-year $114 million free agent contract that defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh received from the Miami Dolphins this off season.

Houston is undoubtedly one of the best defensive players in the entire NFL. He is coming off of a historic season, where he led the league with 22 sacks, trailing only Michael Strahan‘s single-season sack record by only half of a sack. On top of that, at 26-years-old, he has an incredibly bright future ahead of him.

Simply put, if the Chiefs could not lock him up long-term, Houston was going to get paid perhaps even more handsomely on the open market.

Aside from Houston Texans defensive lineman J.J. Watt, Houston could easily be considered the most talented and dominant defensive players in the entire game. Letting a player of his caliber reach the open market in the prime of his career is basically unheard-of, and his leaving would have immediately set the Chiefs’ franchise back.

Dec 28, 2014; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Chiefs outside linebacker Justin Houston (50) sacks San Diego Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers (17) in the first half at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports

That being said, $101 million is a ton of money, and Houston’s contract will not be a huge burden on the Chiefs’ salary cap for the next several years. The question simply must be asked, did the Chiefs overpay to lock-down Houston?

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First, let’s take a look at his impact on the Chiefs’ defense. Houston is one of the best pass rushers in the NFL right now. His ability to get consistent pressure on the quarterback using his elite outside speed rushing skills is unparalleled in the NFL today.

While he will continue to receive help from Tamba Hali, Dontari Poe, Dee Ford and the others on the Chiefs’ defense, Houston is a talent who can provide a pass rush all on his own. In a league massive passing totals have become the norm, this is becoming more and more important. Aside from having a franchise quarterback, having an explosive and productive pass rush is the most important part of a successful football team in today’s NFL.

On top of being an incredible pass rusher, Houston has a very well-rounded defensive skill-set. He is a strong and physical player against the run, and while he is usually asked to attack the quarterback on the pass rush, Houston does shows impressive skills when asked to drop back into coverage.

When the contract news broke, Matt Verderame of Arrowhead Addict, jumped in for an interview with former agent current salary cap expert for CBS Sports Joel Corry.

Corry is one of the most knowledgeable people in the media when it comes to the salary cap, making his opinion on this specific situation valuable. To start, Verderame writes that Corry “believes the deal likely had to be done today, or Houston might have been walking elsewhere after team control expired.”

"“I think he would have been looking to get out. He wanted a contact last year and missed all of the offseason program,” Corry told Verderame. “The only reason he showed up was to accrue a season. … That relationship was getting to a point where it might have been beyond repair.”"

“Despite the numbers being a little higher, he believes the Chiefs made a solid move,” Verderame wrote.

“It was a little longer than I thought because Kansas City doesn’t usually go six years. It has been a maximum of five in recent years. I thought somewhere in the J.J. Watt neighborhood, although I didn’t think they would go over. … They didn’t go above Alex Smith at 17 million per year, Justin is a little below that. It is in the neigherhood I thought it would be,” Corry said.

“Despite the numbers being a little higher, he believes the Chiefs made a solid move,” Verderame wrote.

Houston’s value to the Chiefs on-the-field is obvious. He is an incredible defensive player whose future is extremely bright. If anybody deserves a massive contract on the Chiefs, Houston is the guy.

His salary cap hit will make things difficult for the organization moving forward. They will almost certainly not be able to keep all of the players on their who they want on their roster.

That being said, Houston’s talent shines through here, and Corry feeling good about the move makes me believe the Chiefs will be fine from a salary cap perspective.

Now, with that out of the way, it is time for Houston to earn his money, and lead the Chiefs’ defense to the promise land.

Next: Who will Start on Chiefs' Defense in 2015?

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