A report in January indicated that the Texans were likely to release veteran running back Arian Foster this offseason.
It wasn’t a hard one to believe as Foster is set to make $6.5 million in salary, more than half of which the Texans would get back if they cut him, and is coming back from a torn Achilles tendon with his 30th birthday approaching. The Achilles tear is the latest in a series of injuries that have kept Foster off the field in recent seasons, which only adds more reason to speculate about his future.
If the Texans do move on from Foster, General Manager Rick Smith says it won’t be because of the salary.
“As it relates to all the free agent conversations, I’m never really going to tell you one way or the other what we are doing, but I will tell you this: his salary is not a reason why we would cut Arian,” Smith said from the Scouting Combine in Indianapolis.
That would leave injury or ineffectiveness related to past injuries as reasons why the Texans would move on. Smith said that he believes Foster will “bounce back” and “be fine,” which would seem to make his spot on the team look more secure than it did earlier this offseason.