Lamarr Houston's contract has an out for the Chicago Bears

Critics were torn on Lamarr Houston's new 5 year $35 million contract by the Chicago Bears. Some saw the value in paying for an up and coming versatile talent, while others saw Chicago general manager Phil Emery overreacting and overpaying for a defensive end that isn't known for sacks.

New details on his contract have emerged and even though he has a $14.9 million guarantee, CBS Sports NFL Insider Jason La Canfora looked at a number of recent deals and noticed a trend. Teams are giving themselves an early out, just in case.

Here's his break down for the Houston deal.

Max deal: 5 years, $35M. Could be: 1 year, $9M

Houston's 2015 salary of $6 million does not become fully guaranteed until after this season, and with just a $5 million roster bonus, the Bears don't have any future cap charges hanging over their head. In reality, this is a two-year, $15 million deal, and the reality is Houston will have to earn his $6 million annual salary each year based on his health and performance.

According to Over The Cap, the highest Houston's cap hit would go is in the final year of his deal, and if he's performing as Emery expects him to, $8.99 million isn't that bad.

Does the built in out in his contract make you feel any better about his deal?

For comparison's sake, Houston received a smaller deal than did the other top two DEs on the market. Michael Johnson was plucked up by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with a 5 year deal, worth $43,750,000 and $16 million guaranteed. The Seattle Seahwaks re-signed Michael Bennett with a 4 year deal, worth $28.5 million and $16 million guaranteed.

If each player fulfills their entire contract, both Johnson and Bennett have outs too, Houston's average per year check in at $7 million, Johnson's is at $8.75, and Bennett's is at $7.125.

Now that you've had some time to digest the signing of Lamarr Houston, do you still feel the same way you did initially?