NFL Trade Deadline: Chicago Bears Wise to Avoid Senseless Matt Forte Trade

ESPN Chicago's Michael C. Wright is reporting that Chicago Bears general manager Jerry Angelo is not looking to trade star running back Matt Forte.

The Bears currently sit one game out of a playoff spot. They are three games behind the Green Bay Packers and two games behind the Detroit Lions. But while the division looks lost at this point in the season, a wild card spot is still a very real possibility, especially if the New Orleans Saints win the NFC South and are not competing for a wild card berth themselves.

The Bears have already beaten the Atlanta Falcons this year and have a chance to beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, and the Philadelphia Eagles in their following game. Wins in both of those would go a long way in giving the Bears tiebreakers over most relevant teams.

As was reported by the Vaughn McClure of the Chicago Tribune, Forte would seem at least somewhat interested in a move, as he's undeniably frustrated with his contract talks:

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"I'm glad teams are interested...For me to be out here working as hard as I do and not have a contract extension, you kind of get that feeling of being unappreciated. I just hope that when this year is over and I play as well as I've been playing, that if the Bears don't reward me with a contract, another team will.''

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It's true that contract negotiations are always difficult for all parties involved.

In the same article, McClure reported that Forte's agent, Adisa Bakari, added, "The longer they wait, the more Matt's going to question whether he's in their long-term plans."

This might be completely true. Forte may be as good as gone as it relates to 2012. Time will tell if that's the case.

But the fact of the matter is that a contending team should never consider trading its best offensive player. If the Bears had even one more loss right now, this move would be far more sensible. They could get a nice draft pick for a player who's as good as gone, and it would make sense.

But in a parity driven league with two strong teams atop your division, it's hard to guess how long it will take to get back into contention.

If you are a team coming off of an NFC Championship berth sitting right on the edge of playoff contention, you should be looking to add, not subtract.

Forte's value on the trade market may be tempting, especially given his contract situation. Still, the Bears are best served to leave the man who leads the NFL in yardage on their roster for the rest of the season.