Justin Houston teases fans by working out in Chiefs helmet

For those in Chiefs Kingdom who are anxious to see a reunion between pass rusher Justin Houston and the Kansas City Chiefs, it’s been an interesting last several hours. That’s because there’s a lot of reported interest in Houston as a free agent while, at the same time, Houston is working out in some Chiefs gear.

As one of the greatest pass rushers in franchise history, Houston has every right to work out in every ounce of Chiefs gear that he likes. However, his most recent employer was the Indianapolis Colts for each of the last two seasons, and there were some bridges burned—at least it seemed—on his way out of town as the Chiefs decided to reset their pass rush back in 2019.

The Colts decided to let Houston walk in free agency earlier this offseason as they got younger at the position. That meant Houston was set to find his third NFL team if he wanted to extend his career beyond the 10 years he’s already played. ESPN reporter Jeremy Fowler reported on Thursday evening that Houston plans on doing just that.

Fowler notes that “multiple teams” are interested, which makes sense given the production that Houston has maintained into his early thirties. Houston had 11 sacks for Indy in his first season for the Colts and followed it up with 8 last season, giving him 97.5 sacks in his NFL career. While the Chiefs have enjoyed greater team success since Houston left, the team’s pass rush has struggled to find that sort of production on the edge.

The report from Fowler feels like more than just agent speak given that Jason La Canfora reported the same back at the midpoint of this month. Perhaps that’s why Houston is making sure to stay in great shape until he decides on a home for next season.

The heartening part of this post from Houston, at least for Chiefs fans, is that Houston is donning some K.C. gear in some photos. Is he teasing something?

What sense would this make for the Chiefs? It seems a bit incongruent with the signing of Alex Okafor earlier this month since the team also has some obvious candidates to make the active roster in Mike Danna, Taco Charlton, and Joshua Kaindoh to go with Frank Clark and Chris Jones. Tim Ward, Demone Harris, and Austin Edwards are also fighting for roster spots.

If Okafor had not signed, this post would be even more exciting for Chiefs fans hoping to see Houston back here, but this feels a bit like wishful thinking given the timing. Still, nothing is out of the question until Houston officially decides on a new home.