Mike Mulligan at the Chicago Tribune aaddresses the claims by fans and some media that Matt Forte will be traded in the Bears fire sale:
“The problem with trading Forte is that you would never receive proper value in return. Set aside the sentimentality of trading away your most productive offensive player and effectively betraying every other guy on the team. As a practical matter, the team that trades for Forte would have to pay him $414,705 every week along with another $66,625 roster bonus in every game check.
“In other words, a team trading for Forte would have to have nearly $7 million in salary-cap space available.”
The Bears aren’t trading Forte but the facts won’t keep Bears fans from suggesting that they should, as they have for years now.
But the current situation is relevant to Forte in one respect – it calls to mind the question of whether they will re-sign him in the offseason. Forte is in the last year of his contract and the Bears appear to have a very good running back waiting in the wings in Jeremy Langford. Can the Bears afford to pay a 30 something year old Forte what he’s worth in the midst of a prolonged rebuilding effort? Doubtful.
Whoever signs Forte next year is going to get a heck of a football player. I’m sorry to say that I can’t see it being the Bears.