Mario Williams
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The Houston Texans best pass-rusher is Mario Williams. Too bad he had to go on to the IR list this year, now that the Texans have more talent on defense and appear to be headed to the playoffs without him.
As per an article from Pro Football Talk, the Texans will need to declare in February if they are going to use a franchise tag on Williams, or if they are going to try to sign him to a longer term deal.
He's effective either at outside linebacker or defensive end, and if for some reason the Texans decide to let him walk, there will be a long line of NFL teams ready to throw boatloads of cash at Williams to join their team.
In 2011, Williams earned $13.88 million. It would not be surprising to see that number bumped up a little, but if he hits the open market, all bets are off. We need to remember that he's in the prime years of his athletic career and is only 26 years old right now.
My prediction: Texans offer him $14.5 million, but Williams will sign for even more than that.