On Friday night’s edition of NBC SportsTalk, Bears running back Matt Forte joined the show. And as it does whenever Forte is interviewed, the discussion focused on the fact that the Bears have yet to sign him to a long-term deal.
In addition to saying that he won’t walk out in order to get paid, Forte took a shot at the Bears when asked whether he blames his predicament on a system that is slanted against veteran running backs, given that teams can chew them up for the duration of the rookie contract, apply the franchise tag once or twice, and then let the running back walk away as he’s approaching the age of 30.
Said Forte, as transcribed by Sean Jensen of the Chicago Sun-Times: “I think it really depends on what organization you’re in and how they treat their players. I feel if I was on any other team, and you produce, and you were drafted by that team, and you produce enough in the last four years, it would be easy to really get a deal done. I’m not really sure what the problem is and what’s going on.”
Because Forte’s demeanor is at all times calm, his words don’t seem nearly as inflammatory as they are when reduced to black and white. But the Bears continue to make him available to talk, even as he says with almost a smile on his face things that call into question whether the Bears are uniquely cheap when it comes to paying players.