David Haugh of the Chicago Tribune writes that he would be surprised to see the Bears sign QB Jay Cutler to a contract extension before his teammate Matt Forte, despite the fact that Forte has been trying to secure a long-term agreement for well over a year now.
Haugh adds that it would be much smarter to invest in Cutler, rather than a running back that’s reportedly looking for $20 million guaranteed.
Cutler, 29, is entering the fourth year of the $50 million contract extension that he signed back in 2009, so he clearly has a number of productive years ahead of him.
Progress towards a new deal for Forte is still nonexistent. There’s a very good chance that his holdout could last all the way into the season, as he’d be risking the loss of whatever leverage he currently has by joining the team without a new contract in place.
Looking for the latest NFL Insider News & Rumors?
Be sure to follow NFL Trade Rumors on TWITTER and FACEBOOK for breaking NFL News and Rumors for all 32 teams!
It’s getting to the point where you have to wonder if the Bears know something about Forte that they don’t want getting out. Health concern? Who knows……. Unless Forte is asking for a ridiculous overpay.
They’re concerned about the condition of his knees. He’s had a torn PCL and a sprained knee in the past few years. You add in the fact that he’s had a huge workload and is looking for deal that would guarantee him $20 million and you can see why the Bears are reluctant to give in and pay him. I’d like to see Forte get a decent contract because of how great he’s been for the team, but it doesn’t look like it’s going to happen.
Absolutely. It’s alway interesting to see how a team handles injured players. They no doubt have medical info that no one else has. X rays, MRI’s and all the records tell a lot more than we will ever know. It will be interesting to see how this plays out.