Now that the Houston Texans are on the verge of parting ways with future Hall of Fame wide receiver Andre Johnson, focus turns to whether this team is prepared to fully turn the page from its somewhat successful past.
Johnson—the team’s longest tenured player—was also its second ever first-round pick back in 2003. He ranks first in franchise history in receptions (1,012), receiving yards (13,597) and receiving touchdowns (64).
If head coach Bill O’Brien and company are prepared to move on from Johnson, why wouldn’t they send Arian Foster packing?
Foster may hold the franchise record with 6,309 rushing yards and 53 rushing touchdowns. He’s also set to count $18.4 million against the cap over the next two years and is 28 years old. It’s also important to note that Houston could release Foster while accruing just a $5 million cap hit over those two seasons.
With the Texans looking to the future under their “new” head coach, it might be time for the team to part ways with the names of the past. This is only magnified by the fact that Foster and Johnson are considered friends.
Courtesy of USA Today: Foster and Johnson hanging at a NBA game last January.
How would Foster handle suiting up for the Texans without his long-time running partner? That could very well create some locker room issues within the franchise.
Much like what the Philadelphia Eagles did with LeSean McCoy, the Texans could very well look to work out a trade in order to acquire a pick or a player. That would also enable the team to subtract Foster’s full cap hits for the next two seasons off its payroll.
Despite a rather lengthy injury history and over 1,600 touches under his belt, Foster would likely draw some interest on the trade market. After all, Foster did put up nearly 1,600 total yards with 13 touchdowns this past season.
Pure conjecture here, but the Arizona Cardinals and Denver Broncos are two teams that could show interest in Foster on the trade market.
This is obviously dependent on him agreeing to a pay cut, because no team is going to give up anything of value and pay a running back what Foster is owed over the next two seasons.
Circling back to the Texans for a second here, ridding themselves of Foster would enable the team not only to move on from the past, but find a running back of the future in one of the deepest draft classes at that position in the recent history of the NFL.
Losing Johnson and Foster in the same offseason might not please the fan base, but it would likely be the most prudent thing to do.
Photo: USA Today