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Matt Forte Wants To Retire With Chicago Bears

By Erik Lambert

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Oct 4, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bears running back Matt Forte (22) runs against Oakland Raiders defensive end Khalil Mack (52) during the second quarter at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports

The talk is everywhere.  Few people haven’t at least caught whispers of it.  Most Bears fans are in agreement that the team has plenty of logical reasons to trade running back Matt Forte.  He turns 30-years old in December, has an expiring contract and is playing some of the best football of his career.  So there is reasons for them, a team trying to go young to unload him while there are reasons other teams in need of running backs should place a call.

Most believe it would take no more than a fourth round pick to make a deal happen, but anybody trying to get him cheap will be disappointed according to Jason La Canfora.

"Any deal for Forte would have to come with much higher compensation, according to the source.“They’re not just going to give him away,” he said. “There has to be value in the trade. It won’t just be a salary dump.”Some teams that were in contact with the Bears on other trades said that Forte was not offered to them during those discussions, and he is not being shopped around. But if teams broach the topic, according to the source, the Bears will listen."

Even despite all of this rampant speculation, Forte himself has remained resolute on his desires.  He wants to retire in Chicago and hopes the team is willing to make that happen.

His dream is to stick around and build this Bears team into what he saw so briefly a few years ago in 2010 when the team came so close to the Super Bowl in the NFC championship.  Sadly they lost to the Packers and regressed from there into where they sit now.

Forte feels like he has some unfinished business.  After all, he is the only remaining drafted Bears player between 2006 and 2011.  He’s been their shining light in a swirling torrent of offensive change over the years.  If any man deserves to go out like he wants, it’s him.  Still, that doesn’t change the fact that the NFL is a business.  What it comes down to is production value and price.

Right now Forte holds a salary cap number of $9.2 million.  If he’s expecting to earn that price on a new deal, then he’s kidding himself.  Even great running backs don’t make that kind of money when they hit the 30-year-old mark.  So it will come down to how much he asks for.

The good news is the Bears will have upwards of $58-60 million in cap space, so they won’t have to pinch pennies.  If Matt is willing to take a reasonable discount, then it might convince GM Ryan Pace to work something out.  After all, Forte currently leads the NFL in total yards from scrimmage and is second in rushing.  There is no sign yet that his body is breaking down.

Conventional wisdom says he likely has one or two more good seasons left in him.  It would keep a productive player and leader in place on that offense while also being a terrific public relations move by the team to begin their process of rewarding homegrown players for their hard work.

Call it a reconciliation for how poorly things were handled two years ago with the Brian Urlacher fiasco.

If bad karma ruined the Trestman/Emery era, then perhaps allowing the best running back since Walter Payton to finish his career in Chicago would be a feel-good story for all.

Next: Ryan Pace Proving He Can Rebuild Chicago Bears Defense

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