Arian Foster has put up two of the most productive consecutive season's for a running back in the history of the NFL. Recognizing that fact, the Houston Texans rewarded their tailback on Monday with a five-year, $43.5M contract extension. With Foster now signed, there is one player still outstanding in both performance and in a lack of compensation that's future is up in the air.
What to do with the Texans' best defensive player in their franchise's history, Mario Williams.
Per a report from Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, the Texans organization and the representation for Williams haven't had any serious contract talks in while. If the Texans had tried to franchise tag the pass rusher, the cost would've reached over $22-million, and that price tag seems too steep for the Texans payroll.
Its not often that a marquee elite defensive player hits the open market, but it seems that this is the case for Williams. The former No. 1 overall pick from North Carolina State has rounded himself out to be a versatile pass-rusher, from putting his hand on the ground in a 4-3 defense to standing up and coming off the edge in the 3-4. Could this be another situation like those of Reggie White, Kevin Greene and Julius Peppers when they were available?
Who knows, maybe the Texans will consider letting the market setting the price, then move forward accordingly. Maybe.
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