Matt Forte says Bears won't re-sign him, ending 8-year Chicago career

[cigaretteman]

It'll be sad to see him go elsewhere, but if it's necessary to make the Bears better, so be it. It will be interesting to see what they do with Alshon Jeffery:

Playing for an organization with a deep history of some of the best running backs the NFL has ever seen, Matt Forte walks away as the second-most productive back in Chicago Bears history.

Forte announced on his Instagram account Friday morning that the club informed him earlier this week he was not in its plans moving forward. He will be an unrestricted free agent and is free to sign with any team beginning March 9.

The Bears met with Forte and let him know they plan to go in a different direction. It’s not a surprise and Forte had admitted this was a very real possibility before the season ended.

“Despite my wishes, my days as a member of the Chicago Bears have sadly come to an end,” Forte wrote. “I was informed earlier this week from the GM (Ryan Pace) that they will not be attempting to re-sign me in free agency. I will remain forever grateful for my time spent in Chicago and being able to play for an organization with such a rich history. My only regret is not being able to win a Lombardi trophy for the best fans in all of sports. I'm excited about the next chapter of my NFL career. But, Chicago will always be home. God Bless and Bear Down!”

Forte rushed for 8,602 yards in eight seasons with the Bears, who drafted him from Tulane in the second round in 2008, one of former GM Jerry Angelo’s best draft picks. He missed three games last season with a knee sprain but still led the team with 898 yards rushing and caught 44 passes for 389 yards. Forte set an NFL record for receptions by a running back in 2014 when he caught 102 passes. He rushed for a career-high 1,339 yards in 2013.

The Bears will go forward with Jeremy Langford, a fourth-round pick last year, and Ka’Deem Carey in the backfield. They could add a player to the mix this offseason.

Forte turned 30 in December and is trying to buck the trend of running backs being productive after their 20’s. He’s remained remarkably durable in his career and played in all 16 games in five seasons.

The question now is where will Forte land? As an excellent receiver out of the backfield, he would be an ideal fit for the Green Bay Packers, who got underwhelming production from Eddie Lacy last season. It makes sense as James Starks is a free agent. While Packers GM Ted Thompson rarely ventures into free agency, he hit with former Bears defensive end Julius Peppers two years ago and could look to Forte.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sport...-leaves-bears-free-agency-20160212-story.html

 

[Hoosierhawkeye]

NFL's a business. Langford showed he could match Forte's production but at this point does it at a fraction of the price.

As a Colts fan I'd love to have Forte because we are really missing that pass catching running back to our offense. Problem is that we already have Gore (who runs well but isn't much of a pass catching back) and it's doubtful that management would want to pay both Gore and Forte and also doubtful that Forte would want to come to someplace where he would be splitting carries.

 

[ChrisVarick]

Forte has a chance at being a major piece on a championship team like NE, Indy or Carolina. I think they don't have a much of a choice with Alshon. Without getting a chance to see what White could do they have to have a proven #1 WR although Alshon's repeated soft tissue issues are a concern.

 

[dgordo]

30 year old running backs are almost by definition too expensive to keep around.

 

[Hoosierhawkeye]

30 year old running backs are almost by definition too expensive to keep around.

Not necessarily. . . you just have to make sure you arn't giving them much guaranteed money. But Gore is above 30 and last year he was the best RB Indy has had in a long time.

 

[dgordo]

Not necessarily. . . you just have to make sure you arn't giving them much guaranteed money. But Gore is above 30 and last year he was the best RB Indy has had in a long time.

Gore didn't have a single 100 yard game. This says more about the colts inability to find a decent rb.

 

[bdg8]

Gore didn't have a single 100 yard game. This says more about the colts inability to find a decent rb.

Gore had a ton of volume, just didn't do much with it. He only averaged 3.7 per carry. That is not good

 

[Hoosierhawkeye]

Gore had a ton of volume, just didn't do much with it. He only averaged 3.7 per carry. That is not good

Wow I would not have guessed he only averaged 3.7 YPC. Watching the games it seemed like he did better.

 

[Tom Paris]

Wow I would not have guessed he only averaged 3.7 YPC. Watching the games it seemed like he did better.

As a fantasy owner I can tell you 3.7 sounds about right.

 

[LuteHawk]

Matt Forte will be playing on a team contending for the
Super Bowl next season. He will be signed very quickly
and still has a few good years.

 

[bdg8]

As a fantasy owner I can tell you 3.7 sounds about right.

but he got the volume so he was not an awful fantasy player. He was an awful actual player, but not terrible for fantasy

 

[Brian_Fantana]

If the Bears were in contention, I am guessing they would have given him a 3 year deal give or take with 2 years of guaranteed money. Being they need to spend on Def, I don't blame them for this decision. Forte is a fantastic RB but if you can save $6-8 mil per year and use that on Def - you have to at this point. As for Alshon, he will certainly be back in Chicago next year. Hopefully on a long term deal but if I was a betting man i would say they use the Franchise Tag on him. I honestly don't remember the last time they have used it but they really have no choice if they can't agree on the long term contract.

 

[TexMichFan]

8 years is a long time for an NFL back. Right decision by the Bears.

 

[TankHawk]

I thought the Bears should have traded Forte to Denver earlier in the year when the Broncos were struggling. This was a throw away year for the Bears, Manning could have used a great receiving running back and the Bears could have gotten some additional draft picks. Now they get nothing for Forte. So far I'm not overly impressed with Ryan Pace.

 

[Brian_Fantana]

Not sure they could have gotten any more than a 5th or 6th rounder for him during the season. Teams just don't give up much these days for proven vets with expiring contracts. I think they may end up with a 4th or 5th round compensatory pick in a couple years. They do have a lot of cap room though so if they sign a big time FA or two it might be a wash

 

[Mat_Hawks]

The bears did trade Jared Allen and Bostic so they were willing to trade away players in a year they knew was going to be a lost year. Bears were rumored to be trying to trade Forte but the combination of his age and contract were probably too much for another team to take on. Big fan of Forte but the Bears made the right decision.

 

[Tom Paris]

but he got the volume so he was not an awful fantasy player. He was an awful actual player, but not terrible for fantasy

Good point...his best weeks were when I had him on the bench. I was rotating him and Jeremy Hill.

 

[bdg8]

Good point...his best weeks were when I had him on the bench. I was rotating him and Jeremy Hill.

anymore with the way teams splits carries with backs, Gore was not a bad play. It is a huge plus for to have players who get a majority of the team's carries. Even if the player is not that good.

 

[lucas80]

Kind of a sad day. Forte was the consummate pro for the Bears. Statistically the #2 RB in the history of the Bears, and a great locker room presence. As mentioned if the Bears were in a different place keeping him on for 2-3 years would make sense. He has life in his legs and he is a potent weapon in the passing game. For the current Bears team he doesn't make sense.
Lankford has a future, but the Bears will need to draft another RB this year, and find a FA that needs to take a short deal. Carey is not the future.
A big question for the Bears is what happens at TE. I was listening to the Score today and they were talking about how the new regime has quickly turned over the roster, and Martellus Bennet is not what Fox wants in the locker room. Can they find a TE in the draft or on the market who makes them better?

 

[IACub]

As a Bears fan, this is understandable, but makes me sad.

As someone who got Jeremy Langford very cheap in a keeper league, this makes me happy.

 

[QChawks]

As a Bears fan, this is understandable, but makes me sad.

As someone who got Jeremy Langford very cheap in a keeper league, this makes me happy.

Same here, except I traded David Johnson for him way back when Forte got hurt and Johnson was third string.

We'll see things go next year