Justin Houston

High school career

Houston attended Class AAAA Statesboro High School in Statesboro, Georgia, where he was a two-time All-Region selection and All-State honorable mention. He also played in three State Championships in 2003, 2004, and 2005. Statesboro won the State Championship in 2005 defeating Northside High School. He was teammates with fellow Georgia recruit DeAngelo Tyson.

Regarded as a four-star recruit by Rivals.com, Houston was listed as the #11 weakside defensive end in the class of 2007.

College career

As a sophomore at the University of Georgia in 2009, Houston was a second team all-SEC selection after recording 7.5 sacks. As a junior, Houston recorded 10 sacks, leading all linebackers in the SEC, and only second to Auburn's Nick Fairley who had 11.5 sacks as part of the defensive line, and was a first team all-SEC selection and an All-American.

2011 season

Houston was drafted 70th overall, in the third round, by the Kansas City Chiefs in the 2011 NFL Draft. Houston was originally projected to be a late first round pick, but it was reported that he tested positive for marijuana at the NFL Combine in February, which dropped him to the third round. After his rookie season, Houston had 5.5 sacks and 49 tackles. His impressive play would lead him to win the Chiefs Mack Lee Hill Award.

2012 season

In week 6 of the 2012 NFL season, Houston had his first interception in his career against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. After the 2012 season, Houston was invited to his first Pro Bowl after Von Miller was reported injured.

2013 season

On May 30, 2013, Houston was named the 49th best player in the NFL according to the NFL Top 100 Players of 2013 ranking, which is generated by the players.

2014 season

Houston led the NFL in sacks in the 2014 season with 22, nearly breaking Michael Strahan's single season record of 22.5. This included a four-sack, five-tackle performance with a forced fumble in the season finale against the San Diego Chargers.

2015 season

On March 3, 2015, the Chiefs placed a non-exclusive franchise tag, worth $13.195 million, on Houston, meaning that he could negotiate with other teams, but the Chiefs had the right to match any offer, or receive two first-round picks as compensation. On July 15, 2015, hours before the deadline for long-term deals on franchise players, the Chiefs signed Houston to a six-year contract worth $101 million. The deal includes $52.5 million in guarantees. He started 11 games in 2015 before suffering a knee injury in Week 12 and missed the final five games of the regular season. The injury was believed to just be a hyperextension, unfortunately it required surgery on the ACL. Despite the injury, Houston was named to his fourth straight Pro Bowl and was ranked 26th by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2016.

2016 season

Houston began the season on the physically unable to perform list after having ACL surgery in February. One month after the regular season started, he was activated for a three-week practice period. At the end of the period the Chiefs had to activate him or place him on injured reserve. At the end of the period, the Chiefs chose to activate him. The first game after he was activated to the active roster, the Chiefs placed him on their inactive list for the game. Houston finally saw his first game action against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 11, easing into things with just two tackles. He then turned in a dominant performance against the Denver Broncos in Week 12, finishing the game with 10 tackles and three sacks, one of which forced a fumble and resulted in a safety. He finished the 2016 season only playing five games, recording 21 tackles and four sacks. Despite missing most of the season, Houston was still ranked 76th by his peers on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2017.