Chicago Bears: The 5 Most Unnatural Jersey Swaps Ever
By Erik Lambert
Chicago Bears fans know what San Antonio Spurs fans are going through at this moment. It’s never easy to think a franchise icon could play elsewhere.
Yet for those who aren’t following recent developments, that’s exactly what’s about to happen. Six-time All-Star point guard Tony Parker made the momentous decision to tuck away his Spurs jersey for the first time in his career and is preparing to don a Charlotte Hornets uniform. Knowing the man helped lead the team to four NBA titles, that has to be hard to swallow for San Antonio diehards.
This is something the Bears have seen all too often in the past as well. Players we all hoped would retire as franchise icons, never having worn another jersey like a Walter Payton, Dick Butkus, or Brian Urlacher. It happens though and it’s happened with a ton of big names over the years. The question is which among them looked the most unnatural in their new jerseys.
Here are the five that stung the worst.
#5: Matt Forte (New York Jets)
In this era of careful financial consideration, the end game of Matt Forte was a little bit more understood. He was approaching his 30s with several years of heavy lifting in the Bears offense wearing on his body. Running backs always tend to break down around that time. With young bucks like Jeremy Langford and Jordan Howard arriving, his fate was all but sealed.
Still, seeing him in the green and white of the New York Jets, making those same versatile plays he’d done for so many years in Chicago mashed the nostalgia button more than once. Though he only went to two Pro Bowls, some could argue he was the second-best running back in Bears history. At least based on the numbers.