Chicago Bears: Does Matt Forte Deserve Chris Johnson Money?

When I last wrote about the contract demands of Matt Forte, I knew those demands were high, but I figured he would be signed by now. I was wrong.

Look, the Bears want to give Forte an extension. I really do believe that. But as always, the question comes down to relative worth and the parties cannot get on the same page in that regard.

So let's take a look at some potentially comparable running backs and see how Forte stacks up.

First of all, as a disclaimer, I will point out that Forte is worth more to Chicago than any other team, since he is expected to be such a huge part of the offense.

But that should not factor into the amount that Forte eventually agrees to, because he is not a free agent and so the open market really doesn't come into the equation.

And besides, as good as Forte is, he is no Chris Johnson.

While we're at it, can we stop using 1,000 yards rushing as a benchmark for greatness? Since the NFL adopted the 16 game schedule, the new baseline should be 1,200 yards. As Ryan Alberti would say, "Just sayin' is all..."

But by any standard, Forte is a good back who ran hard last season and despite a shaky offensive line, did accumulate 1,069 yards and a 4.5 per carry average.

Forte's other strength is his ability to catch passes coming out of the back field. In 2010, he caught 51 balls for 547 yards.

Now let's look at the Titans RB.  In 2010, Johnson gained 1,364 yards in 316 carries for a 4.3 average. Yet, unlike Forte, he was not coming off of a subpar year.

In fact, his 2009 campaign was historically great.   

Johnson amassed over 2,000 yards with a 5.6 yards-per-carry average. And while he did not come close to repeating those numbers last season, it shows what the man is capable of.

Forte will likely never even sniff those kinds of numbers. Now that's not a bad thing, for very few players ever do.

But it shows just how strikingly different these backs actually are.

While Johnson has been terrific in all three years of his NFL career, Forte has not. In 2009, he ran for 929 yards and did not have the burst he displayed in his rookie year.

We now know he was fighting through a knee problem, but in the NFL, players are seldom one hundred percent healthy.

Yet even during his rookie season he averaged less than four yards per carry. Sure, the offensive line has not been stellar during his brief career with the Bears, but we are talking about a good, not great running back here.

So what is he worth?

NFL contracts aren't guaranteed, so it's the upfront bonus money that counts. Johnson signed a contract that makes him the highest paid running back in NFL history.

Ending a 35-day holdout, Johnson signed a four-year, $53.5 million contract extension with $30 million guaranteed.

According to sources, the Bears want to pay Forte around $13-14 million guaranteed, while Forte's camp wants more. But even if you don't compare him with Johnson, there are two other contracts in play here.

The one that raised the bar on salaries was the outrageous deal given by Carolina to DeAngelo Williams. He got $21 million guaranteed upfront, and that is likely what Forte and his people are looking at.

But Frank Gore signed a three-year extension worth just $21 maximum. In the short term, Gore could receive $6 million in 2012, at age 30, including bonuses.

Now, Gore is less productive than Forte and a bit older. Still, every contract creates expectations for players and for front offices alike.

If the Bears are willing to meet halfway between $21 million and $13 million guaranteed—say, $17 million, will that get it done?

Who knows, but so far the Bears think their offer to Forte is a good one and I agree. I think it is very reasonable, especially considering Forte's lack of leverage.

After all, Forte is good, but he's not Chris Johnson.