Running back Matt Forte said before Christmas that he doesn’t have much hope of re-signing with the Bears once his contract expires at the end of the season, which makes it pretty likely that Sunday’s game against the Lions will be his last with the franchise.
It’s been a good run for Forte, who has the most yards from scrimmage of any player since being drafted in the second round of the 2008 draft and ranks behind Walter Payton on many franchise rushing lists. Forte said that he doesn’t expect to be “too emotional” on Sunday and emphasized the positives of his run with the Bears.
“I’ve been blessed to play here as long as I have,” Forte said, via the Chicago Sun-Times. “I’ve enjoyed my time here. I look back on when I first came in and played against legendary people like Brian Urlacher, Lance Briggs [and] Charles Tillman -- I’ve gotten to play against a lot of those tough defenses that we’ve had and they helped shape my career as a running back by playing against them and learning that way. I can only look back and smile the whole time.”
Forte, who turned 30 in December, has averaged just over 98 yards from scrimmage per game this season and that production should draw some interest from other clubs if the Bears do move on with Jeremy Langford and Ka’Deem Carey in the backfield.