Should the New England Patriots Pursue a Trade for Bears RB Matt Forte?

What once started as a seemingly asinine idea has grown more legs than a Tarantula.

The New England Patriots are speculated to be connected to a trade for Chicago Bears running back Matt Forte, who is vocally displeased with the team giving him the franchise tag and is likely to hold out.

The rumor started with untrustworthy sources, but once it was mentioned by Evan Silva of Rotoworld, it immediately grabbed the attention of most New Englanders.

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Forte has done his best to make the organization look bad in repeated ESPN appearances, complaining about his contract status. He was particularly displeased with the Bears' signing of Michael Bush, even though shared rushing attempts could actually work to prolong Forte's career.

 Forte is a good back. New GM Phil Emery knows it, or else he wouldn't have slapped Forte with the franchise tag. But the Bears now have a starting-caliber replacement, and can find another on day two of the draft. On the trade market, Forte could fetch a second-round pick and then some.



Prediction: Traded to New England for second- and sixth-round picks.

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And that's not all, Comcast SportsNet Patriots writer Tom E. Curran hinted that it might be a possibility on a recent episode of Pro Football Talk Live.

So that's two respected journalists that think it's a possibility, and it wouldn't be the first time the Patriots pulled off an unexpected trade close to or during the draft (see: Moss, Randy). But besides the complete unpredictability of trades, there are a few reasons to doubt that it will ultimately go down.

Money/Value

Part of the reason for Forte's distaste with the Bears is that he feels he deserves a big payday. If the Patriots weren't willing to invest a very economic $3 million per year average into running back BenJarvus Green-Ellis, why would they suddenly plop down big bucks for Forte?

Yes, he is a much more versatile back than Green-Ellis, but the Patriots have rarely (save for Corey Dillon) invested big dollars into the position, preferring instead to employ a running back by committee, which has been a nightmare for fantasy owners but a dream come true for the Patriots. They've gotten consistent production from their backs without going all-in with big bucks for a big name.

Need

Part of the reason the Patriots let Green-Ellis walk was their depth at running back. With Stevan Ridley, Shane Vereen and Danny Woodhead at the ready, it's not hard to understand why.

Letting him go, however, created a need for a short-yardage back. Green-Ellis was the Patriots' best option at the goal line and first-down marker, as evidenced by his 24 touchdowns and combined 103 first downs over the past two years.

That's not Forte's forté.

The Patriots could still use a back, but one with a skill set like Green-Ellis' would be preferred.

Your thoughts

Should the Patriots trade for Forte? Vote in the poll and leave your thoughts in the comments below.

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