Brad Biggs at the Chicago Tribune speculates upon where former Bears running back Matt Forte may land now that he is officially entering free agency:
“The question now is where will Forte land? He would be an ideal fit for the Cardinals offense or for the Packers, who got underwhelming production from Eddie Lacy last season and could lose James Starks to free agency.”
Like almost all Bears fans, I would hate to see Forte as a Packer or to see him go anywhere in the NFC North, for that matter. David Haugh mentions the Seattle Seahawks as a possible destination but running back Thomas Rawls out played Marshawn Lynch this season an is obviously the future there. Other realistic options include the Cowboys and the Redskins. I’ve heard the Broncos mentioned but they probably won’t have much in the way of cap space. The Texans and the Colts are also possibilities.
Personally, my first thought was the New England Patriots, who certainly were short in the running game at the end of their playoff run. Dion Lewis is a wonderful back but he isn’t as versatile as Forte and he will becoming off of a torn ACL next season. Forte is on record as saying that his first priority is to go to a team that can win a Super Bowl. The Patriots certainly are that and they would certainly know how to use him.
Whatever happens, I think there’s a market of Forte. If money really isn’t the first object there will probably be plenty of contenders for him to choose from and no one would be happier than me to see such a class act win a Super Bowl with one of them.