The Houston Texans have a major issue looming with the restricted free agency of Arian Foster. While they have some level of security built in (hence the "restricted" part), another team could come in and take him and give up a first round pick in the process if he were to sign a deal with another team. Thus the franchise tag could come in handy if the Texans did not want to worry about losing their star.
That's what Nate Davis of USA Today advises and says that using the franchise tag on Foster makes the most sense -- not only for the sake of the security there but also because other positions will make it cost-prohibitive.
Davis writes, 'Since franchising Williams at 120% of his 2011 salary would cost nearly $22 million, the Texans can't realistically do it; fortunately for them, he seems open to striking an accord. Tagging Myers or Brisiel would be close to a $10 million proposition, also unwise.
"If Foster isn't franchised, he could be targeted by other teams even with a first-round tender," he continues. "It'd be nice if Matt Forte and/or Ray Rice get extensions to give Houston a framework for locking up Foster, but we'd franchise him just to be safe before getting a four- or five-year pact put together."
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