NFL Rumors: Why Matt Forte Trade Rumors Are Casting Dark Clouds over Bears

The signing of running back Michael Bush and ongoing contract impasse between the Chicago Bears and star ball-carrier Matt Forte have cast a long shadow across Chicago's offseason, and while the Bears president stated Monday night that the team has made Forte a "strong" offer, swirling trade rumors may be casting even more doubt over the fifth-year pro's future in the Windy City.

In an interview with the Chicago Sun-Times, Bears team president Ted Phillips stated that the team is in ongoing negotiations with Forte, who gained nearly 1,500 total yards in 12 games a season ago, and the Bears remain hopeful that they will be able to come to an agreement with the player who accounted for nearly half their offense when on the field in 2011.

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“Not only do we appreciate him and have told him so, but the offer we’ve made him shows that, too. Now, different people can disagree on the ultimate value,” Phillips said. “But we feel we’ve made a strong offer to him, and are still hopeful he accepts it.”

“Matt Forte is our No. 1 running back. He’s been told that, and he knows that. We all know that. He’s going to be a Bear for 2012, at least,” Phillips said. “He knows he has a long-term offer on the table, and we hope, at some point and time, he chooses to accept that.”

Asked about some trade rumors, Phillips said, “I’m not going to comment on rumors.”

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Negotiations with Forte, who the Bears designated as their franchise player for 2012, became even more contentious when the Bears agreed to terms with free-agent running back Michael Bush, a move that left Forte feeling "disrespected" and sent the 26 year-old scrambling to his Twitter account to voice his displeasure over the signing.

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There's only so many times a man that has done everything he's been asked to do can be disrespected! Guess the GOOD GUYS do finish last....

— Matt Forte (@MattForte22) March 22, 2012"

It's not known how far apart the Bears and Forte are in contract negotiations, but the gap appears to wide enough that some have questioned whether Forte might hold out into training camp rather than sign his franchise tender, which apparently gave birth to the trade speculation that ESPN's Kevin Seifert pointed out in a Tuesday article.

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While I was scurrying this way and that Monday at the NFL owners meetings, Chicago Bears president Ted Phillips was addressing the future of tailback Matt Forte with Chicago-area reporters. As you know, Forte did not react well to the signing of backup Michael Bush and apparently there have been low-level trade rumors as a result because he has not yet signed his franchise tender.

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However, as the Chicago Tribune reported, Phillips also attempted to quell speculation that Forte's days in Chicago could be numbered, stating that he remains confident that Forte will remain in Bears blue for the foreseeable future.

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"Matt is going to be a Bear," Phillips said.

"Our goal with Matt is to keep him a Bear as long as possible. We have made offers on long-term deals that we think reward him at a high level, the level he deserves. We haven't been able to reach common ground. The door is open to keep talking. If we get a deal done, we'll be happy. If we don't, then the deal we have is the franchise tag and we'll see what happens after this year."

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It would appear unlikely that the Bears would ever seriously entertain the notion of trading Matt Forte, due both to how vital the former Tulane star has been throughout his career with the Bears and because the relative value of running backs likely wouldn't net the Bears enough of a return to justify jettisoning one of the keys to their offense.

However, had you said a year ago that Peyton Manning would be suiting up for the Denver Broncos in 2012, you'd have been fitted for a straitjacket, so anything's possible and a team such as the Cleveland Browns that has a glaring need in the backfield and draft picks to burn could come sniffing around Forte,

Were contract negotiations to stall and Forte to hold out, the Bears may be left little recourse but to at least consider offers at that point.

It doesn't appear that we've reached that crossroads yet, but it's certainly in the Chicago Bears' best interest to get Matt Forte back into the fold as quickly and painlessly as possible, as the longer the rumors and speculation swirl over Matt Forte's future in Chicago, the bigger a distraction it will become from the Bears' goal of returning to prominence in the NFC North.

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