Justin Houston Not Expected To Attend Minicamp
By Ben Nielsen
Well there’s the answer to that question for the Kansas City Chiefs.
Justin Houston, who is holding out for a new contract, is not expected to show up for minicamp according a report from the Kansas City Star’s Terez A. Paylor.
"A source told The Star that Houston, who is likely seeking a new contract, is not expected to attend the Chiefs’ three-day mandatory minicamp, which starts Tuesday at the team’s practice facility."
Houston is one of three significant Chiefs player who will become a free agent after this season. Unlike Alex Smith and Rodney Hudson, Houston is holding out of practices until a new deal is worked out. This is, in part, because Houston likely has the most to lose in contract negotiations should he get hurt in practice.
The two-time Pro Bowl outside linebacker has not made public what his contract demands are, but Paylor does cite the recent contract extensions for Richard Sherman and Maurkice Pouncey in his piece. Pouncey is the most interesting of the two because he missed 15 games last season due to injury but still earned a maximum five-year, $44 million deal. It would seem Houston’s demands would probably fall around the same area as Pouncey and Sherman’s (four-years, $57 million) extensions.
There is also a question of contract structure that comes into play for Houston. Kansas City has a shade under $10 million in cap space after the release of Brandon Flowers, and it is assumed most of that space will be used to ink Smith to a new deal. If Houston is looking to reap the benefits of a new contract now – he’s slated to make $1.4 million this season – then that could cause some issues.
For now, the issue isn’t too serious, but it does show some willingness of Houston’s part to pay a few fines in order to get the deal he wants. Paylor estimates Houston could lose up to $70,000 in fines for not showing up to minicamp. Fines increase to $30,000 per day missed of training camp should Houston continue his holdout into training camp.
In the meantime, Dee Ford will get some extra snaps with the first team defense, which is not a bad thing.