As Justin Houston was mulling offers from other teams, his preference was to play for a franchise that gave him the best chance to win a championship.
So even though the Pittsburgh Steelers offered him a more lucrative contract, he decided to sign with the Ravens for a deal worth up to $4 million.
"I think it was a better fit for me in what I was looking for," Houston said. "I just want opportunities to have one-on-ones and be able to put pressure on the quarterback."
Houston is expected to be the last piece of the puzzle for the Ravens to make a deep playoff run.
He is a veteran pass rusher that fits perfectly into their system.
"I fell in love with it.I kind of knew I wanted to be here when I saw that," Houston said about defensive coordinator Don Martindale's scheme.
Martindale loves to blitz and now he has one of the game's best pass rushers at his disposal.
“Some people have a knack of rushing the quarterback, and he’s one of them," Martindale said. "His moves, how he studies the game, he knows the tackles that he’s going against and what their weaknesses are, so you just can’t pinpoint one thing. His power, his speed to power is probably his best move.
"Longarm, if you will; I don’t want to talk technical, but that’s another thing that he does well. And once again, he’s another guy that you bring in that has flexibility, just like Jimmy Smith does. Where is he going to line up at? So, that’s going to be fun as well.”
Entering his 11th NFL season, Houston has played in 134 games, including 128 starts, for the Kansas City Chiefs (2011-18) and the Indianapolis Colts (2019-20).
He was a first-team All-Pro in 2014 and four-time Pro Bowler 2012-2015. Houston has registered 444 career tackles (366 solo), 97.5 sacks, 117 tackles for loss, 17 forced fumbles and 13 fumble recoveries. Since he entered the league in 2011, Houston ranks third in both sacks and fumble recoveries among active NFL defenders.
Houston started seven of the eight playoff games in which he appeared from 2013-20. In those eight postseason contests, he recorded 20 tackles (16 solo), 4.5 sacks, three passes defensed and two fumble recoveries.
Ravens cornerback Marcus Peters played with Houston in Kansas City and had a key role in recruiting him to Baltimore. It could make the difference for winning a championship.
"When you get a player like that, and he’s out there on the market, it doesn’t [hurt] to just call – just say, ‘What’s up? How are you doing?’ – and see if we can be a part of his journey, and he can be a part of ours, too, and it worked out," Peters said. "So, I’m glad to have him, and I’m excited – just ready to get to work with him.”
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