Even though it seemed likely for weeks, it appears as though Justin Houston's tenure in Kansas City has now come to an end. According to a Sunday afternoon report from Adam Schefter of ESPN, the Kansas City Chiefs are indeed releasing the veteran pass rusher.

With Kansas City ultimately unable to trade Houston, a four-time Pro Bowl selection, the seasoned defender will now be set free en route to being forced to find his next NFL home. Hardly coming as a surprise, no other teams from around the league were willing to tack on Houston's $15.25 million base salary for the 2019 campaign.

Although Kansas City might not be done wheeling and dealing this offseason, it seems that the AFC West powerhouse did not want to pay two pass rusher a hefty base salary for next season. With Houston now out of the picture, the Chiefs currently remain in line to fork over a respectable payday to fellow pass rusher Dee Ford, who was notably franchise tagged by Kansas City this offseason. Ford may also be on his way out of town, though, as it has widely been reported that the Chiefs are shopping the seasoned sack artist.

Nonetheless, the Chiefs remain very much on the upswing while a Super Bowl appearance or title wouldn't be out of the realm of possibilities for the 2019 campaign. After encountering quite the successful regular season effort in 2018, the Chiefs were simply just not able to overcome the always dangerous New England Patriots come playoff time.