Justin Houston

AFC West Notes: Thomas, Broncos, Houston

July 17th, 2015 at 5:04pm CST by Luke Adams

While the NFL Player’s Association appeared ready to drop its collusion investigation into the Cowboys and Broncos after Dez Bryant and Demaryius Thomas signed new contracts on Wednesday, the union is still considering filing a complaint, a source tells Lindsay H. Jones of USA Today Sports. Both the Cowboys and Broncos have been informed that the NFLPA has not yet lifted its request that front office officials preserve writen and digital correspondence that could be used as evidence of collusion, writes Jones.

Even if the Cowboys and Broncos did discuss Bryant’s and Thomas’ contract situations, it seems unlikely that there’s a smoking gun, and now that both wideouts have long-term deals – perhaps with the help of legal collusion by their agents – it seems unnecessary for the NFLPA to pursue another drawn-out legal battle with the league. As such, I’d guess that the union will eventually drop its investigation, but it sounds like we’ll have to wait until at least next week to know for sure.

As we await word from the NFLPA, let’s check out some more updates from out of the AFC West, with a focus on Thomas’ and Justin Houston‘s extensions….

A report earlier this week suggested that Thomas was prepared to skip training camp and the preseason if he didn’t get a new contract this week, but earlier today the wideout admitted, “I wasn’t going to sit out games” (Twitter link via Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com). Thomas also suggested that he “kind of knew the whole morning” on Wednesday that he and the Broncos would get something done (Twitter link via Legwold).
During the negotiations with Thomas, GM John Elway was mindful of how other extension-eligible players – particularly Von Miller – will fit into the team’s budget down the road, writes Nicki Jhabvala of the Denver Post.
At OverTheCap.com, Zack Moore dives deep into Houston’s new six-year contract with the Chiefs to determine its value, while Jason Fitzgerald lays out the year-by-year figures for the deal in chart form.
In explaining why he felt like it was “very important” to remain in Kansas City long-term, Houston credited Andy Reid, explaining that the Chiefs head coach pushed him to become a better player. Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star has the details and quotes from the star pass rusher.

Contract Details: Bryant, Thomas, Houston

July 16th, 2015 at 10:33am CST by Luke Adams

In the wake of the four contract extensions signed yesterday by players who received the franchise tag, year-to-year details on structure, salary, and bonuses has begun to surface on three of those deals. While we still don’t have a lot of specific info on Stephen Gostkowski‘s new four-year contract with the Patriots, there are plenty of updates out there on the three big agreements of the day. Let’s round up the latest:

Dez Bryant (WR), Cowboys:

Todd Archer of ESPNDallas.com and Gil Brandt of NFL.com (Twitter links) provide the yearly breakdown of Bryant’s base salaries and cap hits. Bryant’s modest $3MM base salary in 2015 will result in just a $7MM cap number. His cap charges increase to $13MM, $17MM, $16.5MM, and $16.5MM in the final four years of the pact.
Bryant gets $32MM fully guaranteed at the time of his signing, and his contract doesn’t feature offsets, according to Joel Corry of CBSSports.com (Twitter links).
Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap lays out what Bryant’s full extension looks like in chart form.

Demaryius Thomas (WR), Broncos:

Thomas’ contract includes an $11MM signing bonus, a $6.5MM roster bonus, and a fully guaranteed $4.5MM base salary for 2015, per Mike Klis of 9News. Thomas’ 2016 salary of $13MM is also fully guaranteed, while his 2017 salary ($8.5MM) is guaranteed for injury only at the moment — it becomes fully guaranteed early in the 2017 league year. The 27-year-old has a $4MM option bonus in 2018.
Thomas’ extension doesn’t feature offsets, tweets Corry.
Here’s what Thomas’ deal looks like in chart form, via Over the Cap.

Justin Houston (OLB), Chiefs:

Houston’s new contract counts for just $5.1MM against the Chiefs’ cap in 2015 before jumping to $19.1MM in 2016. In a tweet, Corry breaks down the cap charges for all six years.
According to Corry (via Twitter), Houston gets $12MM of his $20.5MM signing bonus within 20 days of signing the contract. The remaining $8.5MM is deferred until April 1, 2016.

Reactions To Justin Houston’s Extension

July 15th, 2015 at 6:47pm CST by Zachary Links

Justin Houston is a case study in a player betting on himself, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Houston turned down a solid deal in October and went on to nearly set a new sack record. Now, he has himself a new six-year deal worth $101MM. Here’s a look at some of the reactions to Houston’s new deal..

Unlike the other tagged players, Houston had leverage in his negotiation, Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap writes. The Chiefs had the most difficult cap situation remaining in the NFL with just slightly over $500K in cap room remaining, a figure that included Houston on a $13.2MM tender. They needed to bring his cap figure down by at least $4MM to function this year, which gave Houston some extra juice in the talks.
When asked if he would have showed for camp if he didn’t get his long-term contract, Houston said “probably not,” according to Adam Teicher of ESPN.com (on Twitter).
The Chiefs were convinced that Houston was serious about his threats to miss games, Jason Cole of Bleacher Report hears (video link). They were comfortable giving him the deal because he erased many of their concerns in 2014.
On a conference call, Chiefs GM John Dorsey said the team still has the flexibility to do other deals, Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk writes.
The Houston deal provides a template for what it might take for the Broncos to secure Von Miller long term, Troy Renck of The Denver Post tweets. Miller will be eligible for the franchise tag after this year. Joel Corry of CBSSports.com (on Twitter) adds that the Houston deal should mark Miller’s salary floor.

Chiefs Sign Justin Houston To Six-Year Deal

July 15th, 2015 at 11:40am CST by Luke Adams

11:40am: Houston’s signing bonus is worth $20.5MM, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). That means it’ll count against the cap for $4.1MM annually from 2015 to 2019.

11:22am: Houston has confirmed in a tweet that he has signed his contract with the Chiefs, thanking agents Joel Segal and Greg Barnett for their work getting it done. Meanwhile, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com has some specifics on the money involved, tweeting that Houston will get $32.5MM in fully guaranteed money, including $43MM by March 2016.

11:00am: The Chiefs and Justin Houston have agreed to a contract extension that will be the richest deal in team history, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com. Schefter reports (via Twitter) that Houston’s new contract will be worth $101MM over six years, including $52.5MM guaranteed, narrowly surpassing J.J. Watt‘s pact with the Texans.

Houston becomes the first of this year’s class of franchised players to reach a multiyear extension with his club, doing so about four hours before this afternoon’s deadline. Outside of perhaps Stephen Gostkowski, who already signed his franchise tender with the Patriots, Houston had long been considered the franchised player most likely to ink a long-term deal.

Multiple recent reports had indicated that Houston was looking to match or exceed Watt’s six-year, $100MM contract, which seemed to be a more attainable goal than equaling Ndamukong Suh‘s six-year, $114MM+ deal. Unlike Suh, neither Houston nor Watt reached the open market when they agreed to their new contracts. However, you could make a strong case that the Chiefs and Texans pass rushers are currently the two most valuable defenders in the NFL.

In 2014, Houston led the league in sacks, racking up 22 en route to his first All-Pro nod. Over the past three seasons, the 26-year-old has terrorized opposing quarterbacks, accumulating 43 sacks in 43 games — he also forced four fumbles last season, totaling 68 tackles. The advanced numbers back up Houston’s dominance as well, as he has ranked as Pro Football Focus’ No. 1 outside linebacker over each of the past two seasons (subscription required). Last year, his +51.1 grade nearly doubled the +26.0 mark posted by PFF’s second-best 3-4 OLB, Pernell McPhee.

A former third-round pick, Houston entered the league in 2011 with some off-field concerns after reportedly testing positive for marijuana at the NFL’s scouting combine. However, he has stayed out of trouble and on the field since then, instilling plenty of confidence in the Chiefs, who used their franchise tag on him before locking him up to a longer-term deal.

Had Houston not reached an agreement with Kansas City today, he would have had to sign his one-year franchise tender – worth $13.195MM – or negotiate a slightly modified one-year contract with the team. That salary would have been guaranteed once he signed his tender, but it looks like he’ll earn more than $13.195MM in 2015, between his signing bonus and his new salary. The Chiefs should also create a little breathing room under the cap, since they’ll be able to spread Houston’s signing bonus out over five seasons for cap purposes.

While the $52.5MM guarantee initially reported won’t all be fully guaranteed, Houston’s per-year salary makes him the highest-paid linebacker in NFL history. Interestingly, a report in May indicated the Chiefs wouldn’t want to pay Houston more annually than they’ve committed to quarterback Alex Smith, who is making $17MM per year. So it makes sense that Houston’s figure would come in just short of that, at about $16.83MM per season.

With Houston having landed an extension today, we’ll now be keeping an eye on Dez Bryant, Demaryius Thomas, and Gostkowski, as the 3:00pm CT deadline for long-term contracts for franchised players looms. Jason Pierre-Paul is also eligible for a multiyear extension, but the uncertain nature of his hand injury makes a deal extremely unlikely.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Cole’s Latest: Dez, Thomas, Houston, Collins

July 15th, 2015 at 9:42am CST by Luke Adams

Jason Cole of Bleacher Report has been busy today, providing several updates on franchised players who are seeking new contracts, as well as publishing a Q&A with rookie Cowboys offensive lineman La’el Collins. Let’s dive right in and check out the highlights from Cole so far today….

Cole gets the sense that, while Dez Bryant badly wants to get an extension done with the Cowboys, neither the team nor agent Tom Condon is eager to do a deal — presumably because the two sides don’t want to budge significantly from their current proposals (Twitter link).
Echoing something that Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk said earlier this week, Cole suggests that the Cowboys want to be able to escape a long-term contract for Bryant if the receiver gets into any off-field trouble (video link). As Florio writes in a new PFT piece, the Cowboys have included those sort of clauses in other recent deals, including cornerback Byron Jones‘ rookie contract. Jones’ deal features language that would void his guarantees if he’s arrested or even detained by police, or if he’s fined under the league’s substance abuse or personal conduct policies.
Don’t expect the Broncos to budge much from their current offer to Demaryius Thomas, which is for about $13MM per year, says Cole (video link). While the star wideout is seeking Calvin Johnson money, Denver almost certainly won’t go that high.
The Chiefs and Justin Houston are “still talking” about a multiyear extension, but Cole has no sense of where the two sides will land by the end of the day (Twitter link). Reports this week have suggested that Houston has the best chance of the four unsigned franchised players to come to terms on a long-term deal.
Cole’s Q&A with Collins features plenty of details on the lineman’s draft experience — or lack thereof. The Cowboys rookie tells Cole he lost 10 pounds during the week of the draft due to stress and being unable to eat.

Community Tailgate: 7/13/15

July 13th, 2015 at 3:59pm CST by Luke Adams

We’re still almost two months away from the start of battles on the NFL gridiron, but there’s no offseason when it comes to debate amongst fans. Earlier this summer, we launched a new series here at PFR that will be known as the Community Tailgate. What’s the Community Tailgate all about? Well, it’s pretty simple. Every weekday, we’ll highlight one of the top stories going on in the NFL. Then, in the comment section below, we want you to weigh in and let us know what you think.

Of course, while the debate may get spirited, we ask that it all stays respectful. If you need a reminder of our rules, please check out our commenting policy. Basically, we ask that you refrain from inappropriate language, personal insults, and attacks. Speaking of commenting: we’ve made it much easier to leave a comment here at Pro Football Rumors. You are no longer required to be a registered user – simply put in your name, email address, and comment and submit.

With the July 15 deadline for franchised players less than 48 hours away, we’re looking today at the unsigned player deemed most likely to work out a long-term deal with his current team. While Jason Pierre-Paul begins his recovery from a hand injury and Dez Bryant and Demaryius Thomas try in vain to match Calvin Johnson‘s contract, Justin Houston and the Chiefs appear to have a reasonable chance of reaching an agreement.

Houston, 26, has been one of the league’s best pass rushers in recent years, racking up 43 sacks in 43 games over the past three seasons, including an NFL-best 22 in 2014. You could make a case that only J.J. Watt is a more valuable defender than Houston, and recent reports have suggested that the Chiefs pass rusher could be seeking a contract in the neighborhood of Watt’s six-year, $100MM deal.

Ndamukong Suh easily surpassed Watt’s deal this winter, but Suh had a ton of leverage, hitting free agency after the Lions deemed it impractical to use the franchise tag on him. A player signing an extension with his current team is unlikely to land that sort of payday, which is why Houston’s camp figures to identify Watt’s extension as a more attainable target.

Houston reportedly tested positive for marijuana at the NFL’s 2011 scouting combine, which resulted in him dropping to the third round. The league’s policy on substance abuse calls for strict penalties for repeated marijuana violations, but by all accounts, Houston has stayed out of trouble since entering the league. While that doesn’t mean that a long-term investment is risk-free for Kansas City, the last four years likely strengthened the team’s confidence in the 26-year-old. Whether the club is confident enough to pay him roughly $16MM per year remains to be seen.

What do you think? Is Houston worthy of a six-year, $100MM-type contract, like the one Watt received? If not, what do you think is a fair price for Houston? How high should the Chiefs be willing to go before they call off negotiations and try to simply bring their star pass rusher back on his one-year deal? Jump into the comment section below and let us know what you think!

Franchise Tag Updates: Houston, WRs, JPP

July 13th, 2015 at 2:48pm CST by Luke Adams

Of the five recipients of franchise tags around the NFL this year, only Stephen Gostkowski immediately signed his one-year tender. He’ll have until Wednesday to negotiate a longer-term deal with the Patriots, but the focus this week is on the other four franchised players, who are still technically free agents, albeit not unrestricted ones. With the July 15 deadline for a multiyear contract looming, let’s check in on those four stars….

Negotiations between Justin Houston and the Chiefs are expected to resume on Tuesday, one day before the deadline, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Florio suggests that guaranteed money will be the major factor in those talks, with Houston likely seeking a sizable signing bonus.
Houston may have the best chance of the four unsigned franchise players to actually land a long-term extension this week, writes Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com. Per La Canfora, the two sides have made “significant progress” since they first started negotiating, and Kansas City would like to avoid having to franchise the star pass rusher two years in a row. La Canfora expects it to cost at least $15MM per year for the Chiefs to get something done.
Within the same piece, La Canfora addresses Dez Bryant and Demaryius Thomas, noting that the two wideouts are stuck in similar situations. Although a deal for either player could be reached if one decides to settle for something in the range of $13-14MM annually, the Cowboys and Broncos are both in a good position to wait until after the season to get something done, if need be. We passed along more extensive updates on both Bryant and Thomas earlier today.
The fourth unsigned franchise player, Jason Pierre-Paul, has virtually no chance of getting a multiyear contract this week, as we’ve heard repeatedly since his July 4th fireworks accident. However, Jordan Raanan of NJ.com suggests that if JPP is able to contribute to the Giants this season and land a decent contract elsewhere in 2016, he could eventually net New York a draft pick.

Chiefs, Houston To Talk Contract This Weekend

July 10th, 2015 at 11:57am CST by Luke Adams

The Chiefs and Justin Houston will discuss a possible extension for the standout pass rusher this weekend, according to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link), who indicates agent Joel Segal will talk to Kansas City GM John Dorsey.

Like Jason Pierre-Paul, Dez Bryant, and Demaryius Thomas, Houston received the franchise tag earlier this offseason but has yet to sign that one-year, $13.195MM tender, preferring for the time being to pursue a long-term contract. It’s no surprise that Houston and the Chiefs are expected to ramp up negotiations in the coming days, since the deadline for franchised players to strike a multiyear deal is next Wednesday.

According to Cole, the Chiefs have an offer on the table for Houston that features “generational wealth”-type money. It’s not clear exactly what that means in terms of per-year salary or overall guarantees, but Cole suggests the NFL’s reigning sack leader is seeking a deal in the neighborhood of J.J. Watt‘s six-year, $100MM pact. That’s no surprise either — we heard way back in November, when Houston was on his way to finishing with 22 sacks, that he and Segal may look to top Watt’s deal.

If the Chiefs don’t increase their offer into the Watt range, the two sides likely won’t get anything done within the next five days, leaving Houston to play the 2015 season on his one-year franchise tender. However, it’s not unreasonable to think Kansas City’s offer could get close to that six-year, $100MM figure.

Although Watt received more than $50MM in total guarantees, only about $20MM of that amount was fully guaranteed up front. And while a report in May indicated the Chiefs wouldn’t want to pay Houston more annually than they’ve committed to quarterback Alex Smith ($17MM), a six-year, $100MM agreement would come in just below that.

Houston isn’t quite the one-man wrecking ball that Watt is up front, but Watt’s deal is viewed as a relative bargain for the Texans, since they got it done well before he would’ve reached free agency. Additionally, you could make the case that Houston is the league’s second-best pass rusher, considering he has racked up 43 sacks over the last three seasons, earning Pro Bowl nods in each of those years.

Based on that production, Houston is probably worthy of an extension that matches or exceeds the contracts for top pass rushers like Mario Williams and Robert Quinn, who are in the $14-16MM per year range. We’ll see if the Chiefs are willing to go that high, or if they’re more inclined to go year to year on their star outside linebacker.

AFC Notes: Chiefs, Browns, Raiders, Steelers

June 19th, 2015 at 7:19pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Chiefs went through both voluntary and mandatory minicamp sans holdout Justin Houston, but head coach Andy Reid isn’t concerned about the star linebacker’s status going forward.

“There’s a lot of rules and regulations but I don’t get caught up in that — that’s what Dorse (general manager John Dorsey) does. I have trust in both sides, actually, that they’ll get something done,” Reid told Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star.

The Chiefs placed the franchise tag on Houston after he led the NFL in sacks last year with 22, but he hasn’t signed his one-year, $13.1MM tender and the two sides have until July 15 to strike a long-term deal. Otherwise, the Chiefs’ best hope is that Houston eventually signs his tender and reports in time for the 2015 season. As a nonexclusive franchise player, another team could sign Houston to a deal, which would give the Chiefs the right to match it or let him go in exchange for two first-round picks from the other club.

Here’s the latest on some of the Chiefs’ AFC brethren:

Given his size (6-foot-4, 233 pounds) and speed, Terrelle Pryor‘s conversion from quarterback to wide receiver could pique some teams’ interest. The Browns won’t be one of them, Tony Grossi of ESPNCleveland.com tweeted.
Real estate developer Floyd Kephart faces a Monday deadline in his bid to provide proof to the city of Oakland, the Raiders and Oakland-Alameda County that his proposed new stadium plan is making progress, writes Bill Williamson of ESPN.com. Scott McKibben, the executive director of the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Authority, is optimistic. “We are hopeful we will see what we need to see,” McKibben sid. “This is an important benchmark deadline.”
The Steelers’ second-ranked passing offense picked apart opposing defenses last year, and it could be more of the same this season – especially if wide receiver Markus Wheaton‘s transition from the outside to the slot goes well. “He is super fast and quick, and that’s what you need because you are facing that third corner or linebacker a lot,” Steelers wideout Antonio Brown told Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh-Tribune Review. “On third downs, nine times out of 10 that’s where the ball is going to go. It’s just about being on the same page with Ben (Roethlisberger).”

Dez, Houston, JPP Won’t Be At Minicamp

June 15th, 2015 at 10:01am CST by Luke Adams

When the Broncos held their mandatory June minicamp last week, franchised wide receiver Demaryius Thomas wasn’t in attendance. Thomas is one of four players who received the franchise tag but have yet to sign their tenders, and the other three appears set to follow his lead this week. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter), Dez Bryant, Justin Houston, and Jason Pierre-Paul won’t report to their respective clubs’ minicamp on Tuesday.

Houston’s anticipated absence from the Chiefs’ minicamp is perhaps the least surprising of the three. Head coach Andy Reid indicated last week that the NFL’s reigning sack leader “probably” wouldn’t be in attendance this week. After Ndamukong Suh signed a record-setting deal with the Dolphins in March, Houston’s asking price likely increased, and there’s no indication yet that he and the Chiefs are anywhere close to an agreement.

Bryant, meanwhile, made a brief cameo at the Cowboys’ OTAs, a hint that perhaps he’d report sooner rather than later. However, a Friday report suggested that he was shifting to a more hard-line negotiating stance, threatening to sit out Dallas’ regular season opener if he and the club haven’t agreed to a multiyear extension by that point.

As for Pierre-Paul, Giants head coach Tom Coughlin had stressed in recent weeks that he expected the veteran pass rusher to attend the team’s June minicamp, but it looks like Coughlin’s prediction won’t come to fruition. The fact that JPP – like Thomas, Houston, and Bryant – has yet to sign his franchise tender means he isn’t subject to fines for missing this week’s supposedly “mandatory” minicamp, since he isn’t technically under contract.

All four franchise-tag players have a month to work out long-term extensions with their respective teams. If a franchised player doesn’t have a multiyear deal in place by July 15, he’ll have to play the 2015 season on a one-year contract, if he plays at all.

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