KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens used the unrestricted free-agent tender on pass-rushers Melvin Ingram III and Justin Houston, respectively, on Monday.
The UFA tender is rarely used. It was last used by the New York Giants in 2020. If either player signs with a new team before July 22 or the first day of training camp, whichever is later, the signings would count toward the NFL’s compensatory formula.
If they don’t sign by the deadline, the teams would retain exclusive negotiating rights to the respective players at 110% of their 2021 salaries, according to the NFL’s Collective Bargaining Agreement.
For Ingram, that would be $4,400,000, for Houston $1,182,500.
Ingram, 33, joined the Chiefs in a midseason trade last season with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He had one sack in nine games with the Chiefs and one in six games with the Steelers. He also had two sacks in the Chiefs’ three playoff games.
Houston, 33, had 4.5 sacks in 15 games in 2021 in his first season with the Ravens. He has seen his sack production decrease each of the past two seasons.
A four-time Pro Bowl player, Houston played better than his sack numbers indicate, however, and finished with 17 quarterback hits, which led Baltimore. Last year, he became the 39th player in NFL history to reach 100 career sacks. His 102 sacks are tied for the fourth most in the league since he entered the NFL in 2011.
The Chiefs were 29th in the NFL in sacks last season. They retained starting defensive end Frank Clark on a restructured contract this year and selected Purdue defensive end George Karlaftis with one of their two first-round picks in the recent NFL draft.
Pass rush remains one of Baltimore’s top needs because the team didn’t sign anyone in free agency after Za’Darius Smith backed out of an agreement with the Ravens. The Ravens drafted outside linebacker David Ojabo of Michigan, but he could miss his entire rookie season with an Achilles injury.
Baltimore totaled only 21 sacks in its standard rush (four or more rushers) last season, which was tied for 26th in the league. The Ravens’ top two returning outside linebackers — Odafe Oweh (shoulder) and Tyus Bowser (Achilles) — had offseason surgeries.
ESPN Staff Writer Jamison Hensley contributed to this report.