Justin Houston, Chiefs contract talks set to resume
By Chase Ruttig
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
It appears the Oakland Raiders rivals in the AFC West are busy trying to sign their star players into longterm deals before the NFL’s deadline for franchise tag deals hits this week. Both the Denver Broncos and the Kansas City Chiefs trying to avoid slapping the tags on two players who could hit the open market if the front offices don’t get something done to give them security while preventing the opportunity for them to test the open market next spring.
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It was reported on Monday that the Broncos are prepared to offer Demaryius Thomas $12 million per season to stay in Denver, and according to ProFootballTalk along with sources in Kansas City the Chiefs will be looking to get back to the negotiation table with their prized possession as Justin Houston talks are reportedly set to reopen in the next two days.
According to PFT and Terez Paylor of The Kansas City Star both sides on the Houston front are set to see if they can come to terms on a new deal before the franchise tag deadline passes. An attempt to lock up one of the best pass rushers in the NFL before he enters the 2015 season with his eyes on testing the open market to see what his true value could be. A value that could see Houston getting the type of money that JJ Watt and Ndamukong Suh have been given as elite players in the defensive trenches.
According to Paylor the talks between the two sides will begin on Tuesday, a report that was initially picked up by PFT before being confirmed by sources within the Kansas City organization.
Per a source, I can confirm the @ProFootballTalk report that the #Chiefs are expected to renew contract talks with Justin Houston tomorrow.
— RIP Terez A. Paylor (@TerezPaylor) July 13, 2015
Like the Broncos situation with Thomas, it is likely that these talks between the Chiefs and Houston will be an attempt to give their star player a fair deal that can keep the team from having to match offers when 2016 Free Agency comes. With the crazy money that was handed out to Suh by the Dolphins and the types of deep pockets that GM’s have had in recent offseasons there is a potential that if Houston hits the open market he could become the highest paid defensive player in the league. That is a deal that the Chiefs don’t want to match, which makes these negotiations over the next 36+ hours all that important as Kansas City need to lock up their star now if they want to keep him at a reasonable price tag.