Dec 28, 2014; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Chiefs outside linebacker Justin Houston (50) celebrates after a sack against the San Diego Chargers in the first half at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports
The countdown is underway in Chiefs Kingdom. We anxiously await the news of any and all contract talk with the Kansas City Chiefs and Justin Houston.
Houston, as most of Chiefs fans know, was hit with the non-exclusive franchise tag this offseason. The choice to make it the non-exclusive way has baffled some Chiefs fans. Why would head coach Andy Reid and general manager John Dorsey take the chance to even allow him to field other options?
Well, there is a theory when it comes to this predicament.
I think the Dorsey wants to allow the market to dictate the price of the contract for the superstar linebacker. Houston was looking for a deal in the vicinity of the deal Ndamukong Suh received with the Miami Dolphins, complete with a inflated guaranteed contract number. While this deal may seem far-fetched at first, it is not over the top in terms of the value that Houston has with the organization.
Houston, like most players in a contract year, produced insane numbers including 22.0 sacks. only a half-sack short of tying the NFL record set by Michael Strahan. He also was able to break the franchise single-season record set by all-time great Derrick Thomas when he got his 21st sack of the season against the Chargers. So his production does warrant all the many, “Pay the man!” rants filling the air of Chiefs fans.
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