Matt Forte Lucky To Make More Than $4M Per Year In Next Contract?

ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler spoke to some people around the NFL regarding RB Matt Forte and the type of money he could command as a free agent next month.

According to Fowler’s source, Forte would lucky to get more than $4 million per year in his next deal.

Assuming this figure is accurate, Forte could be in line for a similar contract to the ones signed by Saints running backs C.J. Spiller (4 years, $16M and $9M gtd) and Mark Ingram (4 years, $16M and $7.6M gtd).

There’s no question that Forte’s age and workload will be factored into the kind of offers he receives from prospective teams. However, veteran running backs have fared rather poorly in recent years, and even with the salary cap increasing, salaries for running backs aren’t trending upward even slightly.

Earlier in the day, the Bears officially informed Forte that they won’t be extending him a contract offer in the coming weeks, and will instead allow him to move on.

A number of ESPN reporters offered their opinions on Forte being an option for several teams including the Patriots, Packers, Cowboys, Redskins, Texans and Jaguars among others.

Forte, 30, he has played out his four-year, $30.4 million contract that included $13.8 million guaranteed. He’s now in position to be one of the best available running backs in this year’s free agent market.

In 2015, Forte has appeared in 13 games and ran for 898 yards on 218 carries (4.1 YPC) to go along with 44 receptions for 389 yards receiving and seven total touchdowns for the Bears. Pro Football Focus has him rated as the No. 19 running back out of 68 qualifying players.

We have him featured in our Top 100 – 2016 Free Agents list.