The following Press Release comes from the Kansas City Chiefs.
Kansas City Chiefs Sign Linebacker Justin Houston
The Chiefs and Justin Houston agree to a long-term contract
The Kansas City Chiefs announced on Wednesday that the club has signed linebacker Justin Houston to a long-term contract. Terms of the contract were not disclosed by the club.
“Today we were able to reach an agreement with Justin and his agent, Joel Segal, to keep him here in Kansas City for the foreseeable future,” Chiefs General Manager John Dorsey said. “He’s one of the top players in the National Football League and a premier pass rusher. As we’ve said from the beginning, Justin the football player, and the person, is someone we wanted to be a part of our organization. We are very happy that he will remain a member of the Chiefs.”
“John, Joel and their staffs did a great job of getting this deal done,” Chiefs Head Coach Andy Reid said. “Justin has a relentless work ethic on the field and in the classroom, and he provides our team with tremendous leadership. He is a fearless competitor, and we are glad he is going to be back.”
Houston (6-3, 258) has recorded 248 tackles, 48.5 sacks, 19 passes defensed, one interception, seven forced fumbles, four fumble recoveries and 71 quarterback pressures in four seasons with the Chiefs (2011-14). He led the NFL in sacks (22.0) in 2014 and set the franchise’s single-season sack record, passing late Pro Football Hall of Famer Derrick Thomas’ previous record of 20.0 recorded in 1990. He was 0.5 sack shy of the NFL record (22.5). Houston has recorded 13 multi-sack games, seven of those were recorded this past season. He became just the fourth player in franchise history to record at least three seasons with double-digit sack totals (10.0 – 2012, 11.0 – 2013, 22.0 – 2014), joining LB Derrick Thomas (seven seasons), DE Neil Smith (four seasons) and LB Tamba Hali (three seasons).
The Statesboro, Georgia, native and former Georgia Bulldog has been selected to three consecutive Pro Bowls (2012-14). Houston originally entered the NFL as a third-round selection of the Chiefs (70th overall) in the 2011 NFL Draft.
Main Photo:
Dec 2, 2012; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Justin Houston (50) celebrates a tackle against the Carolina Panthers in the second half at Arrowhead Stadium. Kansas City won the game 27-21. Mandatory Credit: John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports
