With Arian Foster’s Sudden Retirement, It’s Time To Consider Him For The Hall Of Fame

Arian Foster’s mid-season retirement on Monday was a move that represented him well — it came suddenly, out of nowhere and took the league by surprise. The 30-year-0ld back entered the league in 2009 as an undrafted free agent and quickly became one of the most dynamic playmakers not only on the Houston Texans, but in the entire NFL.

In his first full season in 2010, he tallied 2,220 yards from scrimmage, leading the league in that stat, rushing yards, rushing touchdowns, and yards per game. It was an out-of-nowhere performance like we haven’t seen since Tom Brady.

Off the field, the outspoken atheist always marched to the beat of his own drummer, always, and his exit from the game made light of serious issues in his typical fashion. In his written announcement for Uninterrupted, Foster closed with a nod to concussion problems that have been an important issue surrounding player health, something in which he’s well-versed.

“This is a beautifully violent game and the same reason I loved it is why I have to walk away. That bittersweet taste will forever linger with me, but on my next journey, I get to carry those memories with me. Hopefully. lol.”

Here’s the full statement:

While his dynamic play enthralled Texans fans and fantasy football owners (with whom he had a contentious relationship), injuries shorten his career to only 80 games played in eight seasons, many of which were toughed-out through his various battle scars. But when he was on the field, he was making history. The only Texans playoff victories in their relatively short history were accomplished through Foster’s superlative, exciting play.

Now we have to ask: is Arian Foster a Hall of Fame player? His stats suggest it.

Here’s a highlight reel made out of his first two seasons alone. This guy was a true every down back who could do it all. The Texans had Andre Johnson, but Arian Foster was their offense.

Even after his ruptured disk in 2013, Foster came back strong to be one of the most valuable players for any team in the league.

It’s a harsh reminder of what an NFL running back puts their body through. The average NFL career lasts just over three years, and Foster was able to make it onto an NFL roster out of sheer force of will, then excel as one of the best backs ever. To go back to fantasy, Arian Foster had the 15th-best year for a RB in the history of the Super Bowl era in 2010.

While it’s impressive that he did all of this as an undrafted free agent, that’s just a footnote to the Foster story. These stats and his career, no matter how shortened it was by injuries, are as good or better than most first round picks. Arian Foster was simply, for a few short seasons, one of the best ever, and deserves a gold jacket.