Thread: Bears make Forte an offer

Linkage: http://espn.go.com/chicago/nfl/story...ed-sources-say

sounds like they've definatley upped the anty. considering the only thing to go off is the gauranteed number for how, I'd say it looks like the bears have made a pretty decent offer.

mikecwright Michael C. Wright
Filed updated Forte. Bears source says Forte offer "not in neighborhood of up to $15 million," but actually between $13 to $14M guaranteed.

Originally Posted by Bear Goggles

mikecwright Michael C. Wright
Filed updated Forte. Bears source says Forte offer "not in neighborhood of up to $15 million," but actually between $13 to $14M guaranteed.

Even better.

Originally Posted by Bear Goggles

mikecwright Michael C. Wright
Filed updated Forte. Bears source says Forte offer "not in neighborhood of up to $15 million," but actually between $13 to $14M guaranteed.

Originally Posted by BigClaws

Even better.

Whatever is being guaranteed is all relative to the length and total value of the deal. Based on Gore's and DWill's deals my guess is that the expectation will be that at least 50% of the contract is guaranteed. If the total deal is for $28 mil through 2015 then the $13-$14 mil is about right. If the offer runs through 2016 as ric's suggests I think they'll have to up that guarantee to around $17 mil.

I've thought all along that the battle would be over the guarantees and the length of the deal more than the dollar amount. If we can give him a 4 year extension for somewhere in the neighborhood of $30 mil with half of that guaranteed I think both sides should be happey with that. That averages out to about $6 mil per for the life of the contract and that is just about 90% of the franchise level salary for RB's.

Another article by Michael C. Wright that brings into play the other deals which Forte and his agent may be comparing the Bears offer to.


Recent deals set precedent for Forte

August, 31, 2011Aug 31
11:51
PM CT

• Comments48

By Michael C. Wright


The length of negotiations and the fact Bears running back Matt Forte hasn’t agreed to terms on the team’s contract offer of in the neighborhood of up to $15 million in guaranteed money indicates a couple of issues likely exist between the sides.
[+] EnlargeMike DiNovo/US PresswireRecent deals given to Frank Gore and DeAngelo Williams should impact Matt Forte's new contract.




There’s the possibility that Forte is seeking a deal worth similar money or even more than the contract signed by Carolina running back DeAngelo Williams, who received $43 million over five years, including $21 million guaranteed. Then again, Forte not agreeing to terms on the team’s latest proposal might also indicate the deal is closer to -- or potentially worth less -- than the deal signed by 49ers running back Frank Gore, who this week signed a three-year extension worth $21 million that included $13.5 million guaranteed.

Based on the team’s recent dealings in contract negotiations with players such as former safety Danieal Manning (now with the Houston Texans), signs point to the latter. (I'm thinking along these lines too and that may be a sticking point. I'm betting that Forte wants a six year deal similar in $$$ to what DWill got and the Bears are offering three years and $$$ more in line with what Gore got)

Since coming into the NFL in 2008 as a second-rounder out of Tulane, Forte ranks fifth in the NFL in yards from scrimmage (4,731) behind Tennessee's Chris Johnson, Minnesota's Adrian Peterson, Jacksonville's Maurice Jones-Drew and St. Louis' Steven Jackson.
Williams isn't among those top producers. But his deal set the record at the running back position, previously held by Jackson, who signed a six-year contract in 2008 worth $44 million that included $20 million guaranteed. Yet Williams has gained 1,304 fewer yards from scrimmage than Forte in the same time span, while scoring just three more touchdowns (28). (This would tend to support the contention that Forte is at least a top 10 RB)

But as NFC North blogger Kevin Seiffert pointed out, negotiations for running backs are usually based on the potential for contributions in the future, as opposed to production in the past. (So including this one, how many more high level productive season will Forte have)

Forte, 25, is younger than both Gore and Williams, 28, and has been more productive than Williams, with just 23 more touches (a combined 982 carries and receptions). So it would be logical to expect the Bears to extend an offer closer to the one signed by Williams. But the fact Williams was an unrestricted free agent whose contract expired -- while Forte still has one year and $600,000 remaining on his original rookie deal -- indicates the Bears were likely more inclined to offer a deal closer to pacts signed by Gore and Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles, who signed a six-year contract worth $32 million ($10 million guaranteed). (Like it or not Matt that is a factor as to why DWill got so much)

Gore has racked up nearly 700 more touches than Forte over his career, which logically, puts the Bears running back in line for a more lucrative deal.
It’s likely the Bears don’t see it the same way, which is apparent when considering the team used Charles’ contract as the baseline for a potential deal with Forte, not to mention the fact he hasn’t agreed to the team’s latest offer.

The Bears own the option of letting Forte play out the 2011 for his base salary of $600,000 and later placing the franchise tag on him to prevent him from entering 2012 free agency. But it’s possible the team’s latest proposal includes less money on a per-year basis than what Forte would receive playing 2012 under the franchise tag, which pays the average of the league’s top five highest salaries -- an average likely to grow once Johnson signs -- at the position. (I think this is key. The offer should make certain that, on average, the annual compensation is close to what a franchised RB would make)

Such a situation would likely make Forte more apt to assume the injury risk associated with playing one year under the franchise tag because he’d eligible for free agency in 2013, and perhaps a bigger pay day. It's important to note Forte -- if franchised -- would be eligible to enter free agency at age 27, which would make him a year younger than Williams and Gore when they signed their deals. (Here's where both sides play poker. If the Bears don't extend him all they can assure themselves of is two more seasons and if he keeps performing at his current level it will be a hell of a lot harder, and more expensive, to re-sign him before 2013. JA seems to be playing hardball with everyone's negotiations this year and I think this is one where he ought to be a bit more flexible)

Either way, it’s telling that Forte hasn’t agreed to the terms placed on the table by the Bears. Let's be real: if the contract met Forte’s standards, surely he would have jumped at the opportunity to sign it.