Ravens' Justin Houston Has $500K Contract Incentive Taken Away From Him

The final week of the NFL season is often one last moment for the pros to tap into contract incentives. For veteran Baltimore Ravens linebacker Justin Houston, Sunday's game against the Cincinnati Bengals was the final opportunity to reach 10 sacks on the season, capable of unlocking a whopping $500,000 in his deal.

Houston, We Have A Problem...

Houston managed to get Joe Burrow in the season finale and thought he unlocked the extra dough — celebrating the contract incentive with an on-field somersault.

Unfortunately, the sack was later split with fellow Ravens linebacker Odafe Oweh, who also got in on the play, and Houston barely missed out on his major payday with 9.5 sacks on the year.

"It kind of broke my heart," Houston shared after Sunday's 27-16 loss. "If it was meant to be, it shall be."

(Note: the $1.5 million incentive alluded to in the tweets accounts for the total sack incentive.)

Houston's base salary for the year was $1.12 million, so that extra money could've made up a chunk of his contract.

On the bright side, Houston already accrued $1M in incentives by racking up more than 7.5 sacks on the season.

It still stunk knowing that the he was half a sack on the year away from not only earning the extra cheddar, but becoming the first Ravens defender to reach double-digit sacks since Terrell Suggs in 2017, as relayed by ESPN.

Odafe Oweh felt bad for playing a part in Houston's heartbreak.

"I was just trying to get a sack," Oweh shared after the game. "I didn't know he needed a full one. So, I'm celebrating with him: 'You got your incentive.' Then, they're like, 'They gave you a half.'"

The 33-year-old Houston has long been a disruptor on the defensive line. In 2014, he ended the season with 22 sacks — just half a sack away from tying the all-time, single-season record held by former New York Giant Michael Strahan (22.5).