Chiefs Franchise-Tagging Justin Houston Epitomizes the Franchise-Tag Process

The franchise tag was introduced when free agency was adopted by the NFL in 1993, primarily so that teams would have a better chance to retain key players whom they drafted and groomed. The name itself indicates the tag was designed to be used on very important players. 

The Kansas City Chiefs drafted outside linebacker Justin Houston in the third round in 2011 and have since helped groom him into an All-Pro pass-rusher. He's become a very important player. 

Unsurprisingly, Houston and the salary-cap-strapped Chiefs differ on how much he's worth in terms of long-term money, which is why Kansas City has prevented the 26-year-old impending free agent from hitting the open market by slapping him with the non-exclusive franchise tag on Monday. 

Again, Houston is the type of player and in the type of situation the tag was made for. Both sides undoubtedly want to remain partners long term, but Kansas City is exercising its opportunity to have the right of first refusal while it appears Houston will consider avoiding team activities while his future remains in somewhat of a state of flux. 

It's not an uncomplicated situation. If indeed it's a non-exclusive tag, as Pro Football Talk reported, that means Houston can sign an offer sheet elsewhere. If the Chiefs choose not to match said offer, Houston can walk and Kansas City gets a pair of first-round draft picks as compensation. That and a potential holdout gives both sides a sense of control, which is healthy. 

But the important thing right now is that the Chiefs have bought themselves more time while at least giving their best defensive player a chance to test the market. The Chiefs have until next Tuesday to iron out a contract in order to keep Houston from even entertaining outside offers on the free-agent market, and the two sides have until July 15 to strike a long-term deal. 

It's probably far-fetched that anyone would be willing to part with two first-round picks while also paying Houston a blockbuster salary, so there's a very good chance he remains in Kansas City. Per PFT, word has already emerged that he's considering waiting until Week 10 to sign his tender, which would give him the ability to accrue a full season while limiting his chances of getting hurt, but that would also cost him millions of dollars and may just be a bluff. 

Realistically, barring a shocking development, the two parties have just bought four and a half months in which to come to terms on something that will keep Houston in Kansas City for several years to come. In the meantime, the leverage will inevitably fluctuate based on any interest Houston receives while operating under a non-exclusive status, as well as the types of deals being signed elsewhere on the open market. 

Worst-case scenario, Houston plays about half the season at a prorated salary based on the estimated tag price of $13 million. A more likely scenario has him playing the full season at $13 million after holding out for much of the offseason and training camp, and the best-case scenario has him signing a long-term deal at some point between now and the July 15 deadline to do so. 

You'll notice that all of those realistic scenarios involve Houston coming back to Kansas City, which is really the key factor here. Because he just isn't the type of player you can let go. 

Houston is coming off a season in which he became just the fourth player in NFL history to record 22 sacks, falling just half a sack short of Michael Strahan's single-season record. Pro Football Focus graded him as the best 3-4 outside linebacker in football by a massive margin and ranked him as the fourth-best defensive player in the game.

Player	Grade
1. J.J. Watt	107.5
2. Khalil Mack	55.3
3. Von Miller	54.0
4. Justin Houston	51.1
5. Sheldon Richardson	39.9

Among players with at least 100 pass-rushing snaps, PFF deemed him to be the league's most productive pass-rusher, and he was versatile enough to hold it down while stopping the run or dropping into coverage. 

That earned Houston first-team All-Pro honors for the first time in his career while getting him into the Pro Bowl for the third consecutive year.  

Player	Sacks	Tackles	Games
1. J.J. Watt	51.5	193	48
2. Justin Houston	43	153	43
3. Robert Quinn	40	113	48
4. Mario Williams	38	101	48
5. Elvis Dumervil	37.5	75	47

Look, this isn't a totally free market. The Chiefs found somewhat of a diamond in the rough here and helped develop it into a gem. Despite the fact that they're extremely low on salary-cap space, they deserve an advantage over other teams as Houston's contract expires. 

There are risks involved for both sides and a lot could go down between now and the heart of next season, but the tag ensures the Chiefs that they'll either eventually have Houston back in the lineup or they'll be compensated substantially upon his departure. 

These types of built-in stipulations help the NFL maintain the parity that keeps things so interesting. They give the little guys extra opportunities to compete, which explains the "any given Sunday" idiom and the fact that we've now gone a decade without a repeat champion. It's why about half of the league's playoff teams change from year to year. 

It's complicated and somewhat annoying for the players, the fans and the teams, but it's a necessary evil. And in this case, it's being utilized the way its designers intended. 

Brad Gagnon has covered the NFL for Bleacher Report since 2012.

Follow @Brad_Gagnon