Morrissey Says; Forte Good But Not Worth Huge Payday...................

**KML** · 08-28-2011, 01:38 PM

Originally Posted by The Benjamin

Actually, this season he IS worth 550K. Contract says so.

Next year, pay him. Not worth top five money, but a top 10 easily. I say 4 year deal, 15-20M signingbonus 4-6 per

Noted, but he's DESERVING of much more...up to as much as 10x that IMO when you look at his 3 year track record and what he's earning compared to the RB landscape. I'm thinking along the lines of a front-heavy 5 year deal worth about $30-35 mil including about $5 mil at signing. That would lock him up through the prime of his career and would expire around the time he hit 30 while paying him closer to his actual value. JMO

**The Benjamin** · 08-28-2011, 01:45 PM

Originally Posted by KML

Noted, but he's DESERVING of much more...up to as much as 10x that IMO when you look at his 3 year track record and what he's earning compared to the RB landscape. I'm thinking along the lines of a front-heavy 5 year deal worth about $30-35 mil including about $5 mil at signing. That would lock him up through the prime of his career and would expire around the time he hit 30 while paying him closer to his actual value. JMO

I doubt he settles for a $5M signing bonus. He would want more guaranteed than that

**KML** · 08-28-2011, 01:57 PM

Originally Posted by The Benjamin

I doubt he settles for a $5M signing bonus. He would want more guaranteed than that

If his contract is front-heavy (as I suggested), his base salary for 2011 could be anywhere from $7-10 mil (which would be guaranteed money) without changing the overall value of the contract. I think he could live with that...we have the cap room.

**Riczaj01** · 08-28-2011, 02:09 PM

Originally Posted by soulman

Ric, he far more valuable to the Bears and how he's used in this offensive system than he might be to other teams who have a dissimilar offensive approach. There's no doubt to me that Forte is a top ten RB and should be paid like one but I don't believe he'd get more than DWill in FA even next year. He isn't a top five back and maybe DWill isn't either but he had a very powerful bargaining position going for him, which Forte does not, and Carolina needed him more than they needed the cash.

What Matt Forte is is one of of the best all around RB's in the NFL. He can run, pass and block and could easily put up 1500 to 2000 yards per year with the right team. What Matt Forte isn't is a RB who can carry a team almost by himself in the way that backs like AP and CJ can. He's more short field quick than downfield fast. He does seem to have an extra gear when he's in the open but nobody would consider him a breakaway threat on every down. He's not a very good short yardage guy even with his size because he runs too upright and he doesn't have very nifty feet. He's a slasher, not a jitterbug and he needs holes. He can't create opportunities without them.

All that aside he's a great back for us or anyone else who uses a multi-purpose RB and I do not under any circumstances want to lose him but if he and his agent think they're gonna get DWill money he may just as well start planning for FA now because the Bears won't pay it.

Um he's been carrying this team since his rookie year. So yes he can carry a team. And there are teams that want/need a star RB. Specifically Dallas and potentially NYJ's if the Shonne Green has another shitty year. Both would pay top dollar for Forte. I cannot name 5 RB's that are CLEARLY better then him. AP, CJ, AF(if he can duplicate last year), J Charles(if he can duplicate last year). That's it. He's on the same level as guys like MJD, and Gore and Rice, none of them are CLEARLY better then him. That puts him somwhere between 5-8th in the league. In the open market he will easily command top dollar from teams like Dallas and the Jets (if shonne again proves he cannot be the guy) or any other team in need of a 25+ touches a game RB, and there are at least 15 that do. The Bears will be in a bidding war, and will be on the short end of a media nightmare if they lose Forte and Forte will know it.

**soulman** · 08-28-2011, 03:12 PM

Originally Posted by The Benjamin

I doubt he settles for a $5M signing bonus. He would want more guaranteed than that

Yeah I'd have to agree with you there Benji. Double that upfront and but another $5-$7 mil in roster and performance bonuses that are easily reachable if he maintains and that may get it done but not for $5 mil no. If I were representing him I'd laugh at that offer of only $5 mil.

**soulman** · 08-28-2011, 03:28 PM

Originally Posted by Riczaj01

Um he's been carrying this team since his rookie year. So yes he can carry a team. And there are teams that want/need a star RB. Specifically Dallas and potentially NYJ's if the Shonne Green has another shitty year. Both would pay top dollar for Forte. I cannot name 5 RB's that are CLEARLY better then him. AP, CJ, AF(if he can duplicate last year), J Charles(if he can duplicate last year). That's it. He's on the same level as guys like MJD, and Gore and Rice, none of them are CLEARLY better then him. That puts him somwhere between 5-8th in the league. In the open market he will easily command top dollar from teams like Dallas and the Jets (if shonne again proves he cannot be the guy) or any other team in need of a 25+ touches a game RB, and there are at least 15 that do. The Bears will be in a bidding war, and will be on the short end of a media nightmare if they lose Forte and Forte will know it.

Sorry Ric but I don't agree with you that Forte could carry another team. What he did for the Bears he did because we had a sorry ass offense and we overworked the shit out of him. I'm talking about carrying a team the way Walter Payton carried some Bears teams who would have been lucky to win 4 games a year without him.

I do agree with you that a team like the Jets could use him and maybe a few more but 32 teams in this league could use an AP productively whereas 32 teams could not use a Matt Forte as productively as we do. I'm not saying that Forte isn't worth a significant amount more than he's been getting but he's not worth or gonna get top 5 money, trust me.

If he goes FA after this year the Bears can always franchise him first and try to work out a deal. If they can't they get him for the next tow years at an average of about $3 mil per year versus the average of about $7-$10 mil per year a new deal would bring in it's first two years. Forte would not see FA until his 7th year in the league and not until after he'd had a lot of miles on those legs of his.

Ric I'm just playing the devil's advocate here by laying out the facts as I see them. The Bears are kind of in the pole position here and he can either agree to a reasonable terms for an extension (although I don't know what the Bears consider reasonable) or he can play up to two more years without a long term contract. That's a pretty risky deal for a RB if you ask me.

**The Benjamin** · 08-28-2011, 03:45 PM

Originally Posted by KML

If his contract is front-heavy (as I suggested), his base salary for 2011 could be anywhere from $7-10 mil (which would be guaranteed money) without changing the overall value of the contract. I think he could live with that...we have the cap room.

7-10M a season? He aint worth that much.

Besides, if you make it front loaded, and year 3 or 4 is worth maybe 2-3, he will be demanding more because he would see that as his being under paid.

**soulman** · 08-28-2011, 04:08 PM

Originally Posted by The Benjamin

7-10M a season? He aint worth that much

I don't think he understands how deals are structured. Actually he could easily average that much per year in the first two years of a new deal but it wouldn't all be in salary. A long term deal that averages around $6 mil per year give or take $500k is about where he fits and I hope that's about where they are but I suspect they're not. My guess is that they're haggling over the guarantees more than the overall $$$ amount.

Let's say they give him a 5 year (4 yrs added to this one) deal for $30 mil with $15 mil guaranteed and another $2 mil in easy to easily made performance bonuses staring in year two. You make $10 mil a signing bonus and then add roster bonuses of $2 mil, $2 mil and $1 mil years 2-4. There's your $15 mil guarantee. Now you add in annual salaries as follows:

Salaries Bonus Other Bonuses Total Comp.
(SB yr 1, RB yrs 2-4) (workout or performance)
2011= $1.55 mil $10.00 mil $11.55 mil
2012= $2.00 mil $ 2.00 mil $500k $ 4.50 mil
2013= $3.00 mil $ 2.00 mil $500k $ 5.50 mil
2014= $4.00 mil $ 1.00 mil $500k $ 5.50 mil
2015= $5.00 mil $500k $ 5.50 mil
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
$15.55 mil $15.00 mil $2.00 mil $32.55 mil

The contract totals $32.55 mil over 5 years including 2011 and pay him roughly 50% of the contracts total value in 2011 and 2012. This is in the ballpark of what both Jamaal Charles and Maurice Jones-Drew got which is where I believe he fits.

**KML** · 08-28-2011, 04:12 PM

Originally Posted by The Benjamin

7-10M a season? He aint worth that much.

Besides, if you make it front loaded, and year 3 or 4 is worth maybe 2-3, he will be demanding more because he would see that as his being under paid.

It wouldn't be $7-10 mil A season, just the FIRST season...that's what I meant by front-heavy. The value of the contract wouldn't change...only the way it's divied up would. It would pay him more during the prime of his career and less on the back end when his production is likely to drop off. It also makes it more affordable to cut or release him towards the end of the contract.

So to recap, a 5 year deal worth roughly $35 mil with $5 mil at signing and $7-10 mil for 2011 would pay him $12-15 mil guaranteed this year, while still leaving $20-23 mil to be earned over the next 4 years. I think that's fair given his situation.

**soulman** · 08-28-2011, 04:14 PM

Look at what I posted above. That's similar to how a deal equivalent to the ones that Charles and Jones-Drew received.

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