backer Justin Houston on Sunday after they were unable to drum up enough trade interest Steven Nelson Jersey , ending the tenure of one of the best pass rushers in club history.The Chiefs had made it clear they would trade or release Houston this offseason, primarily because of his cost. He was due $15.25 million and carried a salary cap hit of $21.1 million, numbers that would have made it nearly impossible to make other much-needed upgrades to their defense.The move means the Chiefs will free up $14 million and make the four-time Pro Bowl selection a free agent when the period begins Wednesday. The Chiefs will also take on $7.1 million in dead money.“Justin has made a lasting impact on this franchise and I can’t thank him enough for his contributions over the years,” Chiefs general manager Brett Veach said in a statement.“These decisions are never easy,” Veach said. “I have a great deal of respect for Justin as a player and person and I wish him and his family the best moving forward.”The 30-year-old Houston was a third-round pick of the Chiefs out of Georgia who quickly became a fan-favorite, not to mention one of the team’s most visible leaders. He wound up starting 96 of the 102 games he appeared in over eight seasons, and his best season came in 2014, when Houston shattered the franchise record with 22 sacks and was voted a first-team All-Pro.He parlayed that season into a $101 million, six-year deal in 2015 that was at the time a record for a defensive player. But he has been slowed by injuries the past four seasons http://www.chiefslockerroom.com/authentic-laurent-duvernay-tardif-jersey , and despite continuing to pile up sacks, Houston has been unable to keep up the pace that landed him the lucrative deal.As the Chiefs try to rebuild one of the league’s worst defenses, and provide some help to one of the NFL’s best offenses, it became apparent that Houston’s days in Kansas City were numbered.“Over the last eight seasons we’ve had the ability to watch Justin grow into a leader on and off the playing field,” Chiefs chairman Clark Hunt said. “His passion helped him become one the most successful pass rushers in franchise history. We appreciate his contributions to our team and community.”Houston departs Kansas City with 78 1/2 sacks, trailing only Derrick Thomas (126 1/2), former teammate Tamba Hali (89 1/2) and Neil Smith (85 1/2) for the most in franchise history.He should have no shortage of suitors after seasons of 9 1/2 sacks two years ago and nine more last season, provided he can convince a club he can remain healthy. Houston has experienced elbow and knee injuries that have allowed him to play 16 games in a season just twice.The Chiefs used their franchise tag on fellow pass rusher Dee Ford, though it’s possible they could still trade him. Other premier edge rushers that were franchised include DeMarcus Lawrence Womens Allen Bailey Jersey , Jadeveon Clowney and Frank Clark, and that could create a more robust market for Houston.Working against him is the fact that pass rusher may be the most stacked part of April’s draft.“You can never have enough of that,” Veach said. “It’s a really intriguing class. I think it’s been mentioned multiple times throughout the first few days, the defensive line this year is really deep. There are a lot of players, pass-rushers, interior pass-rushers, run players, there’s a lot of depth at that position. I certainly think there will be a lot of names from those defensive players called early on.”100<button class="view-gallery">View Gallery</button> Gallery:View from the sidelines: NFL cheerleaders 2018Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports | Raj Mehta OLATHE, Kan. (AP) — A county prosecutor declined to charge Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Tyreek Hill with a crime Wednesday in a domestic incident that involved his fiance and their 3-year-old child.Johnson County District Attorney Steve Howe acknowledged that “we believe a crime has occurred Cameron Erving Jersey , however, the evidence in this case does not conclusively establish who committed this crime.”Police were called to the Kansas City-area home of Hill and Crystal Espinal twice last month, and investigators determined their child had been injured the second time. Howe said the child was placed in protective care and that there will be “a continued involvement by state officials.”“I can’t talk about the child, its placement or what is going on in that matter. What I can say is the child is safe,” Howe said. “We want to hold people accountable that hurt children, but there are other mechanisms for us to protect that child other than filing criminal charges.”The Chiefs issued a comment late Wednesday acknowledging the district attorney’s decision but declining further comment, citing the ongoing investigation by the Department for Children and Families.Hill is a two-time Pro Bowl wide receiver with a history of domestic issues, including a case in which he was accused of punching Espinal while at Oklahoma State. Hill was kicked off the football team there and landed at a small school in Alabama, where he became a fifth-round pick of the Chiefs.Hill has blossomed into one of the league’s elite playmakers http://www.chiefslockerroom.com/authentic-damien-williams-jersey , and had largely stayed out of trouble until this past month, when authorities were called to his home twice in a nine-day span.“As a prosecutor, as a father of four, yes, it frustrates me when someone hurts a child and you can’t do anything about it,” said Howe, adding that the investigation took several additional weeks as he waited for police to conduct follow-up work. “One of the elements of a crime is you have to prove who that person is who committed the act.”Howe said that it was ultimately impossible to determine who injured the child.The decision comes at an important juncture for the Chiefs, who are busy preparing for the start of the NFL draft on Thursday night. They released running back Kareem Hunt shortly after a video surfaced showing him pushing and kicking a woman in a hotel hallway, and that precedent made it likely the Chiefs would have made a similar decision had charges against Hill been filed.The Chiefs or the NFL could still punish Hill Womens Chris Jones Jersey , and the receiver’s long-term future in Kansas City remains in question. Hill is entering the final year of his rookie contract and appeared poised to land a massive contract, but the Chiefs could be reluctant to give him that deal now.The Chiefs’ first draft pick is not expected until the second round Friday night.The Chiefs traded their first-round pick to Seattle on Tuesday for pass rusher Frank Clark, who was kicked off his team at Michigan after his own domestic violence situation.