Foster, Tillman Receive Franchise Tag

BATAVIA, IL

The Batavia Colliders announced the re-signings of Arian Foster and Charles Tillman today via their team twitter account:

Happy to have @ArianFoster and @peanuttillman back in the fold via the franchise tag. Two integral cogs in the #championship machine!

— Batavia Colliders (@BataviaCollider) May 19, 2013

Foster signed for an eye-popping $59.88, and Tillman received the franchise tag for the second year in a row. He is scheduled to make $9.96, which is far above market value for a normal cornerback.

Tillman, however, is not your typical cornerback. Tillman is a two-time All-Immersion corner, and he currently holds the record for the most points in a season by a cornerback. Arian Foster, who was signed at the bargain price of $10 back in 2010, has been one of the top running backs in the Immersion. Like Tillman, he holds the record for the most points in a season at his position, and has ranked (among running backs) 2nd, 4th, and 1st over the past three seasons. Last season, the Colliders had the #2 and #3 running backs, respectively, in Foster and Doug Martin. This move gives the Colliders another chance at having two top-5 running backs.

“It really was a no-brainer,” said Colliders’ GM Josh Hammond. “It’s hard to find a running back that has been so productive so consistently. Yes, it’s a lot of money to pay, but we didn’t have any better options.”

The move significantly cuts into the Colliders’ cap number, but does insure that they have top-line starters at two positions in which it is difficult to find top-line starters who perform consistently at a high level.

Though most analysts concede that this is the correct move, some are questioning the timing. The Colliders were not obligated to make these designations until May 31st, the eve of the new league year.

A rival GM, who chose to remain anonymous due to cowardice, quipped, “What if Foster pulls a Jamaal Charles? The minute he got the franchise tag he suffered a season-ending knee injury. That just killed us…I mean, the team that that happened to.”

Hammond conceded that a season-ending injury to Foster would “indeed suck,” but he wanted to make sure that he remembered to sign him before the deadline.

“Look, it’s getting towards the end of the school year, and I’ve got all this paperwork to catch up on. I could see myself forgetting to take care of this and that would be a tragedy,” Hammond said. “If Foster is going to spinal himself, it probably won’t be until training camp anyway, which is after the start of the new league year.”

© 2013, Josh Hammond. All rights reserved.