Chicago Bears pending free agents: Who should return?

Matt Forte — Running Back

It is a shame that I have to write about the end of the Matt Forte era in Chicago. He has been a big part of the Chicago Bears offense, and he is one of the elite runners in the NFL.

That last part of that statement is what probably keeps Forte from returning. Even though he is over thirty years old, he is still producing. Since he is over thirty, however, you have to think long and hard about dishing out big bucks and then having the player break down.

We may have gotten a glimpse of what is to come when Forte missed a few games due to injury. As you age, it becomes more and more difficult to return quickly from bumps and bruises.

Spotrac.com analyzed what Forte’s value is in the free agent market. They came up with an average salary of just over $7.4 million per season for three seasons.

With all the holes in the Chicago Bears roster, and with a running back with a similar skill set, it would not be feasible for the Bears to spend that money.

If Forte can get a contract close to what Spotrac came up with, he would need to take it. NFL players do not get those big, guaranteed contracts that baseball and basketball players get, so if there is a big offer on the table, they better take it.

I would love for Forte to return, but I would also love to see the Bears winning more. The running game should still be pretty good, even without Forte. It is an assumption, I know, but the Chicago Bears front office did a good job of solidifying the running game behind Forte, and Jeremy Langford had good playing time to prepare to take over.

I will be sad when the announcement comes on March 9th that Forte signed with another team (possibly Dallas?). He gave Chicago Bears fans some great memories, but just as Jerry Rice, Joe Montana and Emmitt Smith moved on after great performances with their original teams, Forte will move on as well.

Next: He Had To Prove It, And He Did