After a disappointing beginning to the offseason, which saw him released by the Kansas City Chiefs, defensive end Justin Houston has found a new home.
Houston, a four-time Pro Bowler, agreed to a two-year contract worth $24 million with the Indianapolis Colts on Thursday.
Houston was cut by the Kansas City Chiefs earlier in the offseason, a move that saved the Chiefs $15 million in salary cap space. His previous contract was the most expensive in the history of the NFL for a defensive player.
The contract that Houston signed with the Chiefs back in 2015 came on the heels of one of the best seasons in NFL history for a defensive end.
In 2014, Houston had a monster season, recording 22 sacks and coming close to breaking Michael Strahan’s all-time record of 22.5 in a season.
Houston was named a Pro Bowler every year between 2012 and 2015 and established himself as one of the top defenders in the league. However, an ACL tear suffered at the end of the 2015 season caused him to miss most of the 2016 season.
Since then, despite being a productive player, he hasn’t quite been able to regain his previous form. Houston recorded 18.5 sacks between 2017 and 2018.
Now, his new deal with the Colts will hope to see him re-establish himself as a top defensive player and add a boost to the Colts’ defense.
