With a large payday potentially on the horizon, Chiefs’ Justin Houston keeps his focus narrow

In the last few months, as speculation about his unhappiness with his contract status swirled, Chiefs outside linebacker Justin Houston was largely quiet, save for the occasional tweet.

So perhaps it was only fitting that when he spoke publicly Thursday for the first time in months, Houston remained suitably tight-lipped about the prospect of playing out the final year of his rookie deal, despite his status as one of the lowest-paid starters on defense.

“That’s in God’s hands. I’m here to play football,” said Houston, who racked up 11 sacks in only 11 games last season. “I’m not worried about that. I’m here to help the team and do what the coaches ask for.”

For the most part, that was Houston’s answer to every conceivable question about his contract after the Chiefs’ first full-squad practice at training camp on the Missouri Western campus.

Are you optimistic about getting a deal done?

Are you worried about how your teammates perceive you?

Do you think you’ll be in Kansas City long term?

All got roughly the same response.

There’s a reason Houston stuck to the script, and it goes beyond the necessity of avoiding a media firestorm.

“If you’re worrying about that contract, it will slow you down from the things you’ve got to do on the field and I don’t want that to happen,” Houston said. “My main focus is football.”

As he should. Because by reporting on time, Houston took the first step toward playing out his four-year rookie deal, which theoretically gives him a chance at free-agency next spring.

That reality might motivate the Chiefs to seek an extension with Houston, their best defensive player who has yet to enter his prime. The Chiefs could always put the franchise tag on him after the season, but they have another key 2015 free agent in Alex Smith and can tag only one of them.

The Chiefs and Smith have been in negotiations, but a source said there have been “significant differences” between the two sides as it relates to an extension.

Therefore, the quickest route to assuring the presence of both players in 2015 might be extending Houston, which would allow the Chiefs to tag Smith next offseason, if necessary.

With an extension, Houston could earn something north of the five-year, $56 million deal that fellow outside linebacker Tamba Hali received from the Chiefs a few years ago.

Salary-cap analyst and former agent Joel Corry said the Chiefs, who had $9.4 million in cap space before Jamaal Charles’ extension on Wednesday, can still fit extensions with Smith and Houston under the cap.

“You can get all three deals done,” Corry said. “You can do Houston with Tamba parameters, so even if you gave him $17.5 million as signing bonus, it’s doable. It’s just a question of whether you want to pay what he wants.”

Hali, by the way, received a $15 million bonus. Without hesitation, Corry said something in that neighborhood is certainly more palatable to the Chiefs than whatever the price tag would be if Houston risks injury and ends up having another 11-sack season.

“If he hits the open market, if he has a similar year to this year, we’re talking about a $15 million-per-year guy, $50 million guaranteed,” Corry said. “I’m just looking at the guy who tore his pec in Houston, and Buffalo ended up paying him a boatload of money.”

Corry was referring to defensive end Mario Williams, who was 27 when he signed his six-year, $100 million deal with the Bills after the 2011 season, in which he had five sacks but played only five games because of a torn pectoral muscle.

Of course, Houston is surely gunning for a better season than Williams had entering free-agency, and if appearances mean anything, conditioning certainly won’t be a problem.

“Well, he came back in great shape,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. “(He’s got) the right frame of mind — he’s ready to go and play. He brings great energy, he’s definitely an energy giver to this football team and we appreciate having him here.”

By all accounts, Houston believes he’s ready to live up to Reid’s assessment. Though he was largely quiet this summer, he made that clear on a handful of occasions, in which he tweeted videos of himself working out.

When asked Thursday what provoked him to that, Houston flashed a wry grin that said more about his goals and determination to have a dominant year, new contract or not, than his words on this day ever could.

“Man, I had to,” Houston said. “The one thing I did, I stayed in shape. I made sure I was going to stay in shape when I showed up.

“Recalling from what we did last year, we didn’t finish … even the playoff (loss), we got a great start, but we didn’t finish the game. ... It was a nightmare. That taste is gonna be in my mouth until I play another game.”

This story was originally published July 24, 2014 at 10:15 PM with the headline "With a large payday potentially on the horizon, Chiefs’ Justin Houston keeps his focus narrow."