Still No Progress For The Bears & RB Matt Forte

Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune reports that the Chicago Bears and RB Matt Forte are still nowhere near reaching a long-term contract extension.

Biggs writes that the Bears have more than enough cap space to lockup Forte, even though he’s believed to be looking for a deal that would pay him $8.5 million annually.

Forte’s agent was in Chicago for “multiple days last week,” but there hasn’t been any reports suggesting that he visited with Bears GM Phil Emery.

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Dan Pompei of the Chicago Tribune writes that the Bears RB Matt Forte is believed to be seeking a base salary close to that of LeSean McCoy‘s recent contract, which would pay him $8.5 million per year.

Chicago supposedly offered him a contract that would’ve paid him salary of $6 million per season, but that’s obviously not the kind of money that Forte’s looking for at this point.

Pompei adds that it may might more sense for the Bears to franchise him this year and next, despite the 20% increase that a second franchise tender would require, rather than lock him up long-term. The only drawback with this idea, is the potential repercussions that it could have on the rest of Chicago’s locker room.

Forte, much like Ray Rice and Maurice Jones-Drew, will have to fight for a long-term contract despite the fact he’s been one of the more productive running backs in the league. Rice and Jones-Drew are much more likely to secure decent money that Forte is.