Arian Foster was released by the Houston Texans more than two weeks ago, and thus far there has been very little interest in the veteran running back on the free agent market. That could have something to do with the Achilles injury Foster suffered last October, but he is supposedly healing nicely.
Foster’s older brother Abdul, owner of IX Innovations training facility in Houston, says Arian is progressing well with his rehab.
“Arian’s doing great,” Abdul said, via Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle. “When you go through stuff like this, you say, ‘Okay, I’m financially set. I don’t need to do this to take care of my family, but, at the end of the day, do I still love this game? Is there still a passion for me?’ The reason I’m excited is because Arian is still passionate about football.
“That’s always a question when money is involved and you’ve made your mark in the league. Do you still have a desire to play in the league. Arian still does, which is exciting to me. The good part is he’s motivated. He’s definitely putting in the work here.”
Foster will turn 30 in August. He has suffered a number of significant injuries over the past few seasons, so it’s no surprise teams are waiting it out to see if he is worth signing. Abdul said Foster’s injury history could be considered a positive, as he doesn’t have as much “wear and tear” on his body as other players his age.
Good luck selling that.
Foster carried the ball 351 times and caught 40 passes in 2012 — the last season in which he was fully healthy. Most teams will likely look at that workload as a contributing factor to the four-time Pro Bowler starting to break down.
Foster will likely get a shot in training camp, but there’s no guarantee we’ll see him in 2016. When you read the recent comments he made about the sport of football, you have to wonder if he would mind retiring.
