The Bears appear ready to open their offseason workout program without running back Matt Forte, who was unhappy having the franchise tag hung on him when he wanted a long term deal. And there appears to have been little progress on getting that long term deal done, while the Bears have been active in other areas this offseason. And looking at those moves raises the question – are the Bears preparing to go long term without Forte?
‘‘The word is that he’s not going to be [there for off season workouts], but that’s just rumors,’’ quarterback Jay Cutler said this week. ‘‘I know it’s going to be hard for Matt to not be there. I think he’s pretty disappointed at how things have gone. But it’s a business for both sides. The Bears have to do what’s best for them in the long run. Matt has to do what’s best for him in the long run.’’
Obviously, Forte wants the security of a long term deal. After missing the end of last season with a “minor” knee injury, he knows that anything can happen on one play and doesn’t want to take a one-year contract with no longer term guarantees. And Forte has played at a high enough level to earn a long term deal – with over 900 yards rushing and over 470 yards receiving in each of his first four years.
Forte was the heart and soul of the Bears offense last season. He basically missed the month of December with an MCL sprain, but despite the injury, he finished the season with 997 yards rushing and 490 yards passing, in essentially 11 games. He still led the team in rushing, and was third in receiving. In fact, if he’d played the full 16 games he might have led the team in both rushing and receiving – in 11 games he had 490 receiving yards, while Johnny Knox led the Bears last season with 727 yards.
The Bears have made moves this offseason to reduce their reliance on Forte and to put a more balanced offense on the field. They traded for wide receiver Brandon Marshall, and reunited him with Jay Cutler, to step things up in the passing game. Marshall had the best years of his career in Denver with Cutler, including back-to-back 100+ reception, 1200+ yard seasons. With Marshall, Forte is likely to be far from leading the team in receiving yards, although Marshall posing a deep threat can actual open things up for Forte for underneath passes and for the running game.
The Bears also signed Michael Bush as another running back, ostensibly as a backup for Forte. But the question is – was he insurance, or a ploy to allow the Bears to play hardball with Forte? Bush had similar numbers to Forte (although in 16 games) in Oakland last season – rushing for 977 yards and catching 37 passes for 418 yards. But Bush isn’t Forte, and that means that they aren’t paying Forte-pricing.
Bush signed a four-year deal for the Bears for a total of $14 million, with $7 million guaranteed. Forte’s one year franchise tag is worth $7.7 million for 2012, and he’d obviously be looking for more guarantees in a long term deal. Ultimately, the team needs depth and there is plenty of room for both Forte and Bush on the roster. Running back by committee is increasingly popular around the league, as carrying the ball 25 times a game is grueling and can wear down any back, which is why so few have that many carries these days.
Coach Lovie Smith said of Forte, “We start up Monday. Hopefully he’ll be there. If he’s not, we’re going to go to work with the players we have.”
