The Kansas City Chiefs have applied the franchise tag to outside linebacker Justin Houston, the team announced. Houston put together a season for the ages in 2014, recording a franchise-record 22 sacks. However, Houston is not expected to sign his franchise tag right away, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.
Chiefs apply franchise tag to Justin Houston
Kansas City kept the league’s sackmaster in town by applying the franchise tag.
Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Houston is coming off his rookie deal which paid $1.598 million last season. The 26-year-old was a first-team All-Pro for the first time in 2014 and earned his second Pro Bowl appearance, giving him ample leverage with Kansas City while they discuss a long-term deal.
In a statement, general manager John Dorsey made it clear the team wants Houston to stick around for the long haul:
“Justin is a talented player and a key contributor to our defense. Today was the deadline to designate a franchise player, and it was in the best interest of the club to place the tag on Justin. We will continue to discuss long-term options with him and his agent. Our goal is to reach a deal that is mutually beneficial. We want to keep Justin in a Chiefs uniform for years to come.”
It was the nonexclusive tag for Houston, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, which means other teams can still negotiate with the pass rusher, although any deal struck with Houston can be matched by the Chiefs. Even if a team manages to pry Houston away from the Chiefs with a deal that isn’t matched, that team would have to send Kansas City two first-round picks as compensation.
Houston could be looking for a contract in the neighborhood of J.J. Watt, who received a $100 million contract last season. The highest-paid outside linebacker is Clay Matthews of the Green Bay Packers, with a contract value of $66 million and an annual average of $13.2 million.
For now though, Houston is reportedly debating if he should file a grievance over his position. Presumably, the Chiefs used the franchise tag on Houston as an outside linebacker which is projected to pay him $13.2 million for the 2015 season, but that’s less than the $14.8 million due to defensive ends. If Houston can argue that he is actually a defensive lineman, he would receive an addition $1.6 million guaranteed.
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