Matt Forte announces he's leaving the Bears

robertweathers said:

Even with Scar this team's ability to run the football consistently was never a strength.

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Ridley getting 1200 yards in 2012 says otherwise. I would LOVE LOVE LOVE this signing. Reminds me a lot of getting Dillion in 04. Its the one piece truly missing from the team to be solid win any kind of game contenders. Yeah forte probably only has another 2-3 solid productive years left as he has been heavily used and that 30 year old running back wall is common knowledge for a reason. That said send him out with a ring and I don't care if they spend a smidge extra. 3 years 12 million with 6 guaranteed should get it done. Just make sure that last year is cuttable without crazy cap implications

aluminum seats said:

Forte says he's looking for a Super Bowl...he won't find that next year in Denver.

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Wow, a flurry of disagrees and dislikes on this? When was the last time a team won a Super Bowl based entirely on defense and then had sustained success?

Happy to take any and all bets against Denver winning the Super Bowl next year.

pazrul72 said:

Ridley getting 1200 yards in 2012 says otherwise.

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Yes. Overall, the running game has not been a strength of this team whereas the passing game has. Historically the running game has been featured more as a compliment to the passing game. There have certainly been years in which the team had very good running games such as 04 and 2012.

pazrul72 said:

I would LOVE LOVE LOVE this signing. Reminds me a lot of getting Dillion in 04. Its the one piece truly missing from the team to be solid win any kind of game contenders. Yeah forte probably only has another 2-3 solid productive years left as he has been heavily used and that 30 year old running back wall is common knowledge for a reason. That said send him out with a ring and I don't care if they spend a smidge extra. 3 years 12 million with 6 guaranteed should get it done. Just make sure that last year is cuttable without crazy cap implications

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I am all for bringing in Forte. I just hope the line gets to a point where they can open some holes for the guy.

Welcome aboard Matt! (hopefully)

does he has a brother who used to play for the celtics

lets see if he really means it... if he only cares about $$..he won't be here...if he wants to win...possibly but i won't believe it till i see it. My guess is GB or seattle

This will be his last big contact of his career based on his age

Todd Bradley said:

Problem is the draft is a pure crap shoot. We invested a decently high draft pick in White already. Heck last time we choose a RB with a top pick it was Maroney and he was good for a year or two tops.

Forte is a stud and is exactly what this team needs. The NFL is a stop gap league. You have to get really, really lucky to get a long time all pro talent at a position like RB, QB, WR, etc.

Plus, Leveon Bell has had the Jerod Mayo disease and hasn't been able to stay healthy for the last two seasons, going out each time in midseason. Not sure he's the guy we want to emulate.

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Jerod Mayo disease? He's been a stellar contributor on this team for his entire career, and then these last 2 years he got unfortunate injuries and suddenly all of that means nothing now..

Jerod Mayo has been a beast of a linebacker for us, he was well worth the 10th overall pick they selected him at.. hes been a leader and a high level contributor for 7+ years... 2 bad luck seasons doesn't define his career as some injury prone guy and its unfair to paint him in that light..

Pats will cut Mayo ect and have a good deal in cap room..what i want to know is...what will Forte be asking for. He last big check....will he as more than what Gore got in Indy?

JarOfMayo51 said:

Jerod Mayo disease? He's been a stellar contributor on this team for his entire career, and then these last 2 years he got unfortunate injuries and suddenly all of that means nothing now..

Jerod Mayo has been a beast of a linebacker for us, he was well worth the 10th overall pick they selected him at.. hes been a leader and a high level contributor for 7+ years... 2 bad luck seasons doesn't define his career as some injury prone guy and its unfair to paint him in that light..

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It was a matter of speech, to document how certain players, like Bell, can't stay on the field. I'm not calling Mayo a disease, don't be absurd.

And last two years? More like last three, but who's counting......

And his prior accomplishments have nothing to do with anything. Nowhere anywhere did I disparge what type of player Mayo was. He was incredible, arguably the best at his position, but he isn't that player anymore. Fact is, he currently can't finish an NFL season and has gone on IR three years straight.

I know he's your "namesake", but settle down. Don't fabricate disrespect when there isn't any.

a 30 year old with tons of mileage isn't the answer...

just draft a back or two in the mid rounds..don't pay for a guy on his last legs.

The Title of this Thread is very misleading, by the way.

Forte hasn't announced that he's leaving the Bears.

He's announced that the Bears are cutting him loose.

Same Result. Dramatic difference in Impact.

This could substantially reduce his Market Value.

Off The Grid said:

The Title of this Thread is very misleading, by the way.

Forte hasn't announced that he's leaving the Bears.

He's announced that the Bears are cutting him loose.

Same Result. Dramatic difference in Impact.

This could substantially reduce his Market Value.

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yup, i don't think i saw any links to any articles, so here's the story on the chicago bears website:

Bears will not re-sign Matt Forte 

After eight seasons, Matt Forte's career with the Bears is over. The veteran running back will not be re-signed by the club when he becomes an unrestricted free agent next month.

"We recently met with Matt to inform him we will not extend a contract offer for the 2016 season," general manager Ryan Pace said in a statement released by the team.

"These decisions are never easy, especially given what Matt has meant to our team and community. We have a tremendous amount of respect for him. Matt is one of the all-time great Bears and did an excellent job for us on and off the field last season. He was a tremendous teammate. We thank him for his professionalism and wish him the very best as he continues his career."

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After speaking to "a few NFL folks," ESPN's Jeremy Fowler believes free agent Matt Forte will be "lucky" to command more than $4 million per year on the open market.

Heath Evans said on NFL network him and willie talk to forte and then called BB. So they are taking him up. They can talk to him..BB can't. They are the Pats middle man. Pays to have some guys on the inside who can put some words in his ear for us. Like what Law did to Revis

3 offensive stars, 3 new homes!

I swear to god if some team like the Ravens sign him for just 4 million a year I will flip out.

Thats exactly what I was thinking he would get, somewhere around 4-5 million a year... which I would do on a 2 year contract, with a low signing bonus and a roster bonus for him to earn all of that in year 2 so that its team friendly


He'll have a pretty big market at that price though, I mean Vereen got 4 or so million a year, but hes a hellavuh lot younger than Forte

Patriots should take him at $4M year, if they could - maybe a $12M three-year deal, with no real downside to cutting him after Year 2 (I know Miguel has posted some numbers). Although I am normally gun shy about 30 year old running backs with as much tread on their wheels as Forte, he has stayed in phenomenal shape and still shows zip and moves.

An important factor is that he won't be asked to run it 30 times a game in the New England offense, so the wear and tear won't be anywhere near as heavy as his historical workload. In fact, I am more excited about him as pass catcher than a runner, although, he will remain a true running threat to keep a defense honest.

I am really keeping my fingers crossed. I know we go through these free agent fantasy moments every year, but this one feels different to me: he really is that near-perfect fit right now. A rare talent to get at the right price.

Is that what Gore got? 4 a year?

I see Giants fans also getting their hopes up. Now they have a lucky run here and there...and that Div is wide open. But if he wants to W...it's not the Giants. It's Pats...Seattle..( i don't think GB is winning a thing...their D has big issues)

aluminum seats said:

Wow, a flurry of disagrees and dislikes on this? When was the last time a team won a Super Bowl based entirely on defense and then had sustained success?

Happy to take any and all bets against Denver winning the Super Bowl next year.

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Dislikes are like a badge of honour if you ask me

Brady_to_Moss said:

Heath Evans said on NFL network him and willie talk to forte and then called BB. So they are taking him up. They can talk to him..BB can't. They are the Pats middle man. Pays to have some guys on the inside who can put some words in his ear for us. Like what Law did to Revis

3 offensive stars, 3 new homes!

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This really just makes too much sense not to happen. Perfect fit for both the player and the team.