Justin Houston

Justin Houston's Biography

Justin Donovan Houston was born on January 21, 1989. The American professional footballer played as a linebacker and is currently a free agent. He commenced his college football career at Georgia and earned All-American honors for his performance. The 2011 NFL draft saw him being selected by the Kansas City Chiefs in the third round. In addition to being a four-time Pro Bowl selection, he was also named to the All-Pro team in 2014. Houston also played for several teams, including the Indianapolis Colts, Baltimore Ravens, Carolina Panthers, and Miami Dolphins.

Raised in Statesboro, Georgia, Houston attended Statesboro High School where he excelled at football. He was a two-time All-Region selection and received an All-State honorable mention. In addition, he took part in three State Championships in 2003, 2004, and 2005, with Statesboro winning the State Championship in 2005. He shared the high school field with DeAngelo Tyson, a fellow Georgia recruit.

Rivals.com rated Houston as a four-star recruit and ranked him as the number 11 weakside defensive end in the class of 2007. On hitting sophomore year at the University of Georgia in 2009, he became a second-team All-SEC selection, recording 7.5 sacks. As a junior, he achieved 10 sacks, being the leading linebacker in the SEC. This saw him become a first-team All-SEC selection and an All-American.

In 2011, Houston decided to forgo his senior season at university to enter the 2011 NFL draft. Despite failing a drug test for marijuana at the combine, he still managed to attend Georgia’s pro day and run several drills, improving his times. During the pre-draft process, a number of teams, including the Baltimore Ravens, Kansas City Chiefs, New York Giants, New York Jets, San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, showing interest in Houston. Subsequently, Houston was selected by the Kansas City Chiefs in the third round of the 2011 NFL draft, becoming the ninth linebacker drafted that year.

In April 4, 2011, Houston signed a four-year, $2.78 million contract with the Chiefs and started his professional career as a backup outside linebacker. He made his NFL debut in that year’s season opener against Buffalo Bills. Throughout the season, Houston performed exceptionally well and achieved a season-high seven solo tackles. However, a setback occurred when the Chiefs sacked their head coach, Todd Haley, after a 5-8 record. The defensive coordinator, Romeo Crennel, stepped in to fill the vacant position for the rest of the season.

Houston proved himself the best rookie on the Kansas City Chiefs in 2011, hence earning the Mack Lee Hill Award. In 2012, he made four combined tackles, a season-high three sacks, deflected two passes, and earned the first safety of his career during a comeback victory over the New Orleans Saints. This marked a key highlight in his career as he completed that season with 66 combined tackles, ten sacks, six pass deflections, one forced fumble, one interception, and a safety.

After suffering a knee injury in Week 12 of 2015, Houston underwent ACL surgery in February the following year. He finally made his comeback in Week 11 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after missing the majority of the season.

In 2019, after contributing significantly to the Chiefs for eight seasons, Houston was released and later signed a two-year, $24 million contract with the Indianapolis Colts. After making his debut for the Colts in the current season opener against Los Angeles Chargers, Houston’s performance in week five against the Chiefs earned him the title of AFC Defensive Player of the Week. Despite the challenges along the way, Justin Houston remains a testament to the transformative power of perseverance and dedication in professional football.