Justin Houston – Bio, Profile, Career Stats and Everything You Need To Know

Quick Facts

Justin Houston plays in the National Football League (NFL) as an outside linebacker for the Kansas City Chiefs since he was drafted in 2011. Born Justin Donovan Houston in Chico, California, on the 21st of January 1989, he was raised by a single mother and his maternal grandmother, Linda Houston after himself and his siblings were abandoned by their father.

His mother’s name is Kimberly Houston and he has 10 siblings – eight brothers and two sisters – all of whom grew up with their mother in a small crowded house in Statesboro, Georgia. The house was eventually razed down in a fire accident from which he saved his two younger brothers – Tylen and Aaron. Justin is a twin and the name of his twin brother is Jared Houston.

Despite having five siblings ahead of him, Houston managed to attend Statesboro High School where he played basketball and football (having developed a keen interest in sports by watching his older brothers play in the family backyard and sometimes playing with them too). He excelled in football and made the All-Region selection two times while also getting an All-State honorable mention. He led his school team to three consecutive State Championships between 2003 and 2005 and the won the latter by defeating Northside High School in the final in 2005.

His impressive performance in high school football earned Justin Houston a scholarship to study at the University of Georgia while also playing collegiate football. After recording 7.5 sacks as a linebacker in his sophomore year in college, he was named in the all-SEC selection (second team) in 2009. He improved on that record in his junior year and recorded 10 sacks which meant that he was named in the all-SEC selection (first team) and also the All-American.

Having recorded high ratings with sports websites such as Rival.com with the 2011 NFL Draft approaching, he was tipped for a first round selection but fell short of that when he tested positive to a banned substance (marijuana). He was, however, dropped down the pecking order at the draft selection in 2011 which made teams look past him before he was selected by the Kansas City Chiefs as a gamble in the third round (70th overall).

Football Career and Stats

He began his debut season in a fantastic fashion recording 5.5 sacks and 49 tackles which earned him the Chiefs Mack Lee Hill Award. His next season performance was enough to earn him an invite to his first Pro Bowl, howbeit, as a replacement for the injured . He featured in the list of NFL Top 100 Players in 2013 and ranked 49th on the list. This was an achievement in itself for the offensive linebacker.

The 2014 season would see Houston reach a personal milestone as he had the highest sacks among all the linebackers in the league that season, posting 22 sacks. This was the second best in the NFL history at the time and was only bettered by ‘s record of 22.5 in a single season. In 2015, he agreed to the biggest contract ever offered a linebacker in the history of the NFL – a six-year contract worth $101 million – with the Kansas City Chiefs.

His 2015 season was rigged by injuries for Justin Houston that began with the knee and extended to a surgery on the ACL. And even though he missed the last five games of the league season for the Chiefs, he was still named for the Pro Bowl that season. He spent the most part of the 2016 season recovering from his surgery and injuries but played his first game in Week 11 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He only played five games the entire season, however, Houston still made it to the list of NFL Top 100 Players and was voted at the 76th position by league players.

Salary, Net Worth

The Kansas City Chiefs made Justin Houston the richest linebacker in NFL history when they offered him a contract worth $101 million in 2005. The contract was to run for six years and will pay the linebacker and average annual salary of $16.8 million. Also included in the historic deal was a $20.5 million signing bonus and $52.5 million guaranteed sum which was paid to Houston. His net worth has been estimated to be $30 million by Celebrity Net Worth.

Personal Life – Family, Girlfriend, Wife

Justin Houston is married to his longtime girlfriend, a lawyer, and mother of his son, Johnisha Garner. The couple exchanged marital vows in a warm wedding ceremony in Atlanta which had their close friends and family in attendance. Justin and Jo had their son before their marriage but they now have another child, a daughter, which makes it two children for the lovebirds.

Justin Houston Body Stats

The offensive linebacker for the Kansas City Chiefs is a giant of a man who stands at 6 ft 3 in (191 cm) and weighs 258 pounds (117 kg). His is bald and has a large scar on his chest which he had from when he was a child (he had a cyst removed from his chest). His arm’s length is 34½ and his hand is 11.

Also Read: Top 10 Richest People in the world with full biography and details.