It’s not exactly breaking news to say that Bears running back Matt Forte is still not happy about his contract.
But now Forte, inspired by a Chicago Tribune report that two teams have discussed acquiring him in a trade, is expressing even more confidence that he’ll get paid next year, whether it’s the Bears or someone else.
“I’m glad teams are interested,” Forte said. “For me to be out here working as hard as I do and not have a contract extension, you kind of get that feeling of being unappreciated. I just hope that when this year is over and I play as well as I’ve been playing, that if the Bears don’t reward me with a contract, another team will.”
It’s troubling for the Bears that one of their best players takes every opportunity to say he feels unappreciated, but the prospect of playing for a contract certainly seems to be inspiring Forte to play well. Forte is having a tremendous year, with 99 carries for 527 yards and 36 catches for 381 yards.
As for the Tribune report that two teams have talked about acquiring Forte in a trade, don’t expect anything to come of it. The Tribune doesn’t identify the teams, and the Bears aren’t going to trade away their best offensive player. If Forte is going to find another team to pay him, it won’t be until next year.