The argument can be made that Chicago Bears running back Matt Forte is an MVP candidate so far this season considering he’s already recorded 1,091 yards from the line of scrimmage and three touchdowns over the first seven games. Forte is currently in the final year of his rookie contract and has made it clear he wants a long-term deal from the organization, but it looks like he’ll have to wait a little bit longer for that to happen.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Bears plan on using the franchise tag on Forte next season–which should come as no surprise considering how negotiations have gone between the two sides over the last few months. Forte expressed interest in getting a long-term deal last July and his agent has been in talks with general manager Jerry Angelo on numerous occasions, but the two sides always seem to be far apart when it comes to numbers.
Forte entered the 2011 season ranked fifth when it came to yards from the line of scrimmage (4,731) from active players dating back to the 2008 season. Forte has every reason in the world to be frustrated about his contract situation considering he’s only making $550,000 this season, but at least the $7.71 million pay raise for next season is better than nothing.
Dan Parzych is the Lead NFL Content Editor for www.RantSports.com/NFL, where he writes and edits NFL content for www.RantSports.com.
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