Matt Forte Injury Update: Jets RB Underwent Knee Surgery for Torn Meniscus

New York Jets running back Matt Forte underwent arthroscopic knee surgery to repair a torn meniscus on Friday, head coach Todd Bowles told the media (via Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News) on Monday. 

Connor Hughes of NJ.com reported Forte is expected to be ready for the offseason conditioning program in the spring.

Forte had not appeared in a game since Week 15 but was placed on season-ending injured reserve because of a nerve issue in his shoulder. 

The torn meniscus plagued Forte for portions of the 2016 season, but he still managed to play the first 14 games of the year.

It was a difficult ending to a first season with the Jets that turned out to be the worst year of his nine-year career. The first eight of those seasons came with the Chicago Bears. He became one of the best dual-threat backs in franchise history thanks to his ability to catch the ball out of the backfield and his patient running style. 

Forte's first seven seasons saw him post over 1,400 yards from scrimmage before falling out of favor with the organization in 2015. 

After signing a three-year, $12 million deal with the Jets during the offseason, per Spotrac, Forte put up a career-worst 813 rushing yards, 263 receiving yards and 1,076 yards from scrimmage. 

It was just one of many struggles the Jets experienced, following up a 10-6 record in 2015 with a disappointing 5-11 record in 2016. 

New York will likely retool during the offseason. That could mean the departure of quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick after a disastrous season in which he threw 17 interceptions in 14 games and was benched on multiple occasions. 

If the Jets can find the right man under center and Forte returns to health, though, New York could see a reversal in fortune come 2017.