# Justin Houston
**Justin Houston** is an American former professional football player who played 13 seasons as an outside linebacker and edge defender in the [National Football League](https://www.edgepedia.org/national-football-league), chiefly for the [Kansas City Chiefs](https://www.edgepedia.org/kansas-city-chiefs), and recorded 112 career sacks, four career safeties that tie the NFL record held by [Jared Allen](https://www.edgepedia.org/jared-allen), Ted Hendricks, and Doug English, and a 22-sack season in 2014 that finished half a sack short of the NFL single-season record.[1](https://www.nfl.com/players/justin-houston/stats/career) • [2](https://static.clubs.nfl.com/image/upload/ravens/ik1z32lchwjvr2ao5orh) • [3](https://www.chiefs.com/news/chiefs-lb-justin-houston-doesn-t-need-sack-numbers-to-impress-14918579) • [14](https://static.clubs.nfl.com/image/upload/saints/vscmi9cqmngjs2hs5dbn.pdf) Listed at 6'3" and 270 pounds, he played for the Chiefs (2011–2018), Indianapolis Colts (2019–2020), Baltimore Ravens (2021–2022), and Carolina Panthers and Miami Dolphins (2023).[4](https://www.pff.com/nfl/players/justin-houston/6222)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Draft | Kansas City Chiefs, 3rd round (70th overall), 2011 NFL Draft, out of Georgia[5](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/H/HousJu00.htm) |
| Career totals | 170 games, 483 tackles, 112 sacks, 4 safeties, 5 interceptions, 19 forced fumbles[1](https://www.nfl.com/players/justin-houston/stats/career) |
| Peak season | 22 sacks in 2014, a half-sack short of Michael Strahan's NFL record of 22.5[3](https://www.chiefs.com/news/chiefs-lb-justin-houston-doesn-t-need-sack-numbers-to-impress-14918579) |
| Chiefs contract | Six years, $106 million before 2015, with a $20.5-million signing bonus and $32.5 million in guarantees[6](https://www.pff.com/news/pro-kansas-city-release-veteran-edge-defender-justin-houston) |
| Chiefs production | 408 total pressures and 285 run stops on over 6,400 snaps; more than 4.5 wins above replacement, trailing only Alex Smith, Patrick Mahomes, and Travis Kelce among Chiefs of that period[6](https://www.pff.com/news/pro-kansas-city-release-veteran-edge-defender-justin-houston) |
| Efficiency | Fourth among edge defenders with at least 2,500 pass-rushing snaps since 2006 in both pass-rush win rate (16.3%) and pressure rate (15.3%)[7](https://www.colts.com/news/pff-justin-houston-s-reign-as-one-of-nfl-s-top-pass-rushers-far-from-over) |
| Distinctive record | Four career safeties, tied with Doug English and Ted Hendricks for the most in NFL history[2](https://static.clubs.nfl.com/image/upload/ravens/ik1z32lchwjvr2ao5orh) |
## College career at Georgia
Houston played outside linebacker at the [University of Georgia](https://www.edgepedia.org/university-of-georgia) under head coach [Mark Richt](https://www.edgepedia.org/mark-richt) and declared for the 2011 [NFL draft](https://www.edgepedia.org/nfl-draft) as a junior on January 15, 2011, forgoing his senior season.[8](https://georgiadogs.com/news/2011/1/15/Georgia_OLB_Justin_Houston_Declares_for_NFL_Draft) He was a Butkus Award and Nagurski Award finalist, was Georgia's third-leading tackler in 2010 with 67 tackles, and ranked second in the Southeastern Conference with 10 sacks that season (0.77 per game).[8](https://georgiadogs.com/news/2011/1/15/Georgia_OLB_Justin_Houston_Declares_for_NFL_Draft) His college career totals were 125 tackles, 20 sacks, and 38 tackles for loss, with the 20 sacks ranking seventh in the Georgia record book.[8](https://georgiadogs.com/news/2011/1/15/Georgia_OLB_Justin_Houston_Declares_for_NFL_Draft)
Draft analysts projected him as a pass-rushing threat off the edge but questioned his all-around game; one 2011 scouting report suggested he might be limited to a situational pass-rusher unless he improved beyond that, and compared him to [Terrell Suggs](https://www.edgepedia.org/terrell-suggs).[9](https://walterfootball.com/scoutingreport2011jhouston_greg.php)
## Kansas City Chiefs (2011–2018)
Houston became a full-time starter in Kansas City and developed into one of the league's most productive edge defenders. His season-by-season sack totals with the Chiefs ran 5.5 (2011), 10 (2012), 11 (2013), 22 (2014), 7.5 (2015), 4 (2016), 9.5 (2017), and 9 (2018).[1](https://www.nfl.com/players/justin-houston/stats/career)
**The 2014 season.** Houston led the NFL with 22 sacks, finishing half a sack short of [Michael Strahan](https://www.edgepedia.org/michael-strahan)'s single-season record of 22.5 set in 2001.[3](https://www.chiefs.com/news/chiefs-lb-justin-houston-doesn-t-need-sack-numbers-to-impress-14918579) [Pro Football Focus](https://www.edgepedia.org/pro-football-focus) ranked him No. 3 on its Top 101 list for that year and described the consistency of the season as its most remarkable facet: he earned a positive pass-rush grade in 12 of 16 starts, recorded multiple knockdowns in nine games, missed four tackles all season, and was not penalized once.[10](https://www.pff.com/news/pffs-top-101-of-2014-no-3-justin-houston) His 85 total pressures were the most for any 3-4 outside linebacker since [Tamba Hali](https://www.edgepedia.org/tamba-hali)'s 97 in 2010, and they came on 77 fewer pass rushes.[10](https://www.pff.com/news/pffs-top-101-of-2014-no-3-justin-houston)
**Contract and release.** Before the 2015 season Houston signed a six-year, $106-million contract that included a $20.5-million signing bonus and $32.5 million in guarantees.[6](https://www.pff.com/news/pro-kansas-city-release-veteran-edge-defender-justin-houston) Injuries limited his availability afterward: he played 11 games in 2015 and 5 in 2016, and exceeded 1,000 snaps in only one season (2017) after signing, missing 21 games over the course of the deal.[1](https://www.nfl.com/players/justin-houston/stats/career) • [6](https://www.pff.com/news/pro-kansas-city-release-veteran-edge-defender-justin-houston) Kansas City released him in 2019. Across his Chiefs career he totaled 408 pressures and 285 run stops on more than 6,400 snaps, and PFF's wins-above-replacement metric credited him with over 4.5 wins, behind only [Alex Smith](https://www.edgepedia.org/alex-smith), Patrick Mahomes, and [Travis Kelce](https://www.edgepedia.org/travis-kelce) on the team in that span.[6](https://www.pff.com/news/pro-kansas-city-release-veteran-edge-defender-justin-houston)
## Later career: Colts, Ravens, Panthers, and Dolphins
Houston signed with [Indianapolis](https://www.edgepedia.org/indianapolis) and started all 16 games in both 2019 and 2020, recording 11 and 8 sacks respectively, 19 over the two seasons.[1](https://www.nfl.com/players/justin-houston/stats/career) In 2019 he was one of five players in the NFL with at least 9.0 sacks in each of the previous three seasons.[11](https://static.clubs.nfl.com/image/upload/bengals/seq2fkgpgfupvu8bbwb5.pdf)
He then joined Baltimore on a one-year deal worth up to $4 million for the 2021 season and returned in 2022, posting 4.5 and 9.5 sacks.[1](https://www.nfl.com/players/justin-houston/stats/career) In 2022 he recorded his 100th career sack, and he also sacked [Tom Brady](https://www.edgepedia.org/tom-brady) for the quarterback's record 555th career takedown.[12](https://www.nfl.com/players/justin-houston/) Baltimore teammates Oweh and Tyus Bowser credited Houston's presence and mentoring as a factor in their own development.[13](https://www.baltimoreravens.com/news/cover-story-the-fire-still-burns-for-justin-houston)
His final season, 2023, was split between the [Carolina Panthers](https://www.edgepedia.org/carolina-panthers) (7 games, 0.5 sacks) and the Miami Dolphins, where he played 177 snaps as an edge defender and generated 10 total pressures with a 61.2 overall PFF grade.[1](https://www.nfl.com/players/justin-houston/stats/career) • [4](https://www.pff.com/nfl/players/justin-houston/6222)
## Playing style
Houston was a complete edge defender rather than a pure pass-rush specialist. In 2014 he dropped into coverage 158 times, was targeted only 10 times, and surrendered seven catches for 45 yards, and his 22 run-defense stops were bettered by only five other 3-4 outside linebackers.[10](https://www.pff.com/news/pffs-top-101-of-2014-no-3-justin-houston) Kansas City defensive coordinator Bob Sutton described him as doing "a lot of things" beyond rushing the passer, including setting the edge and turning back inside on runs.[3](https://www.chiefs.com/news/chiefs-lb-justin-houston-doesn-t-need-sack-numbers-to-impress-14918579)
As a rusher he won both inside and outside: in 2014 he recorded 25 pressures to the inside of blockers and 33 to the outside, plus 8 bull-rush pressures of which 3 became sacks, tied for the most in the league that year.[10](https://www.pff.com/news/pffs-top-101-of-2014-no-3-justin-houston) PFF's long-run efficiency measures place him fourth among edge defenders with at least 2,500 pass-rushing snaps since 2006 in both pass-rush win rate (16.3%) and pressure rate (15.3%).[7](https://www.colts.com/news/pff-justin-houston-s-reign-as-one-of-nfl-s-top-pass-rushers-far-from-over) He earned PFF Top 101 recognition in six seasons: 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, and 2019.[4](https://www.pff.com/nfl/players/justin-houston/6222)
## Records and milestones
Houston's four career safeties tie Doug English and Ted Hendricks for the most in NFL history.[2](https://static.clubs.nfl.com/image/upload/ravens/ik1z32lchwjvr2ao5orh) His 22 sacks in 2014 remain tied for the second-most in a single season since sacks became an official statistic in 1982.[11](https://static.clubs.nfl.com/image/upload/bengals/seq2fkgpgfupvu8bbwb5.pdf) He finished his career with 112 sacks, 96 tackles for loss, 14 forced fumbles, and 10 fumble recoveries over 170 games.[1](https://www.nfl.com/players/justin-houston/stats/career) • [7](https://www.colts.com/news/pff-justin-houston-s-reign-as-one-of-nfl-s-top-pass-rushers-far-from-over)
## References
1. [Justin Houston Career Stats, NFL.com](https://www.nfl.com/players/justin-houston/stats/career)
2. [Player Notes – Houston, Baltimore Ravens media guide material](https://static.clubs.nfl.com/image/upload/ravens/ik1z32lchwjvr2ao5orh)
3. [Chiefs LB Justin Houston Doesn't Need Sack Numbers to Impress, Chiefs.com](https://www.chiefs.com/news/chiefs-lb-justin-houston-doesn-t-need-sack-numbers-to-impress-14918579)
4. [Justin Houston, PFF player page](https://www.pff.com/nfl/players/justin-houston/6222)
5. [Justin Houston Stats, Pro-Football-Reference.com](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/H/HousJu00.htm)
6. [Kansas City release veteran edge defender Justin Houston, PFF](https://www.pff.com/news/pro-kansas-city-release-veteran-edge-defender-justin-houston)
7. [PFF: Justin Houston's Reign As One Of NFL's Top Pass Rushers Far From Over, Colts.com](https://www.colts.com/news/pff-justin-houston-s-reign-as-one-of-nfl-s-top-pass-rushers-far-from-over)
8. [Georgia OLB Justin Houston Declares for NFL Draft, University of Georgia Athletics](https://georgiadogs.com/news/2011/1/15/Georgia_OLB_Justin_Houston_Declares_for_NFL_Draft)
9. [2011 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Justin Houston, WalterFootball](https://walterfootball.com/scoutingreport2011jhouston_greg.php)
10. [PFF's Top 101 of 2014: No. 3, Justin Houston, PFF](https://www.pff.com/news/pffs-top-101-of-2014-no-3-justin-houston)
11. [Justin Houston Notes, Bengals club media material](https://static.clubs.nfl.com/image/upload/bengals/seq2fkgpgfupvu8bbwb5.pdf)
12. [Justin Houston Stats, News and Video, NFL.com](https://www.nfl.com/players/justin-houston/)
13. [Cover Story: The Fire Still Burns For Outside Linebacker Justin Houston, BaltimoreRavens.com](https://www.baltimoreravens.com/news/cover-story-the-fire-still-burns-for-justin-houston)
14. [static.clubs.nfl.com](https://static.clubs.nfl.com/image/upload/saints/vscmi9cqmngjs2hs5dbn.pdf)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Other team and ball sports › Rugby and other football codes › American football players, coaches, and executives › Linebackers › Active professional linebackers › AFC linebackers*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license