It seems beyond unlikely that the Kansas City Chiefs would ever allow Justin Houston, a man who just last season racked up 22 sacks, to walk away from the franchise.
Then again, if Houston's contract demands are so exorbitant as to be impossible to meet, Andy Reid may have to think long and hard about Houston's future with the Chiefs organization.
While Houston was slapped with the franchise tag by Reid and the Chiefs earlier this offseason, ensuring him a $13.1 million salary for 2015, the two sides reportedly haven't given up finding some type of common ground at the bargaining table - though those efforts have proven mostly futile.
"Per a source with knowledge of the situation, the two sides have been talking. However, significant progress has not yet been made," Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com reported.
Under the rules of the current CBA, Houston and the Chiefs have until July 15 to hammer out a new long-term deal. If they're unable to come to terms before then, Houston can only sign a one-year contract.
While $13 million is quit the sum for one season's work, Houston is clearly seeking the comfort and commitment of a longer term deal and, as Florio notes, it's "still not clear what he'll do if he doesn't get the figure he desires."
Of course, Houston doesn't have much recourse as things currently stand.
If he chooses to stay away from all preseason work, it's possible Reid and Co. could rescind the tag, though that seems unlikely considering the miniscule production first-round pick Dee Ford managed last year and the lack of depth beyond Houston and Tamba Hali on the outside of Bob Sutton's unit.
Reid has done it before though, with Jeremiah Trotter and Corey Simon in Philadelphia.
Another option for Houston would be to stay away until Week 10, report then and collect a prorated portion of his $13 million salary, though that would put the two sides right back in the same situation next year, albeit with Houston looking at a 20-percent salary increase.
An offer sheet from another team is also a possibility, but that would cost two first-round picks if the Chiefs don't match, meaning a big value investment on both the financial and draft fronts for any team brave enough to submit the offer.
The still just 26-year-old Houston is only now entering his NFL prime. It seems unlikely he'll continue his quarterback assaults in a different football home next year, but it's a situation that bears watching this offseason, especially is things become contentious.
