Thread: Forte would consider holding out if FT'd

I think he should cool it until he finds out what the new GM has in mind. If they can't get a deal done and they franchise him that doesn't mean they stop negotiating. Tagging him is the only way the Bears can protect themselves to keep from losing him. If he doesn't want to be franchised he shouldn't be so damn good at what he does, LOL.

Now to be serious because he should be. He risks a $30k per day fine for every day he misses camp on a holdout. That'll chew up whatever bonus you can get pretty fast if days turn into weeks and weeks turn into months. This clause is in the CBA they took so much time fighting over last years and to coin a phrase, "there's a new sheriff in town".

We need to come up with some kind of an offer that gets him a little closer to where he wants to be but he's not getting all the way there. What he needs to do is stop talking about it and sabre rattling. The guy who takes over the negotiations hasn't even been hired yet so wait and see what his attitude about it is before you start talking about franchise tags and holdouts.

Originally Posted by Riczaj01

Soul, that's what he said in the article. If the FT him and it's to continue negotiating he's cool, if it's to avoid paying him he'll disappear. And I think he's smart to make sure they know the where this is heading if they are looking at the FT as a get out of jail free card.

Again, the Titans didn't use this, I doubt the Bears would. All he and his agent have to do is say ...for every X dollar fine, we are taking X dollars onto the amount we will demand... throwing fines around during this would only make things worse and I think teams know it.

Again, anything more then D Will money and he's asking to much imo; but asking fair market value is in fact negotiating in good faith and it sounds like he's done that and the Bears low balled him last year. He really deserves(based on performance) more then D Will. It's not like one guy got a stupid large contract and he's now asking to top that. He's saying look what I do, here are the others that do that, pay me like them. And they should.

I read that part about accepting the tag as long as they keep talking about a new deal. Phillips has commented on this and his position was that they wanted to get a deal done with him so I don't see them doing it just to hang him up. I would agree that it's unlikely the fine stuff happens. The Bears aren't holding any of his future pay so they don't have any real leverage there. That back and forth over fines vs asking for more is just a pissing match in this case.

I would say that I don't think the Bears will give him DWill kind of money. I could be wrong but I think $17-$18 mil in guaranteed $$$ is as far as they go upfront. Maybe they pack some added bonus money tied to production and/or roster bonuses to protect themselves against injuries or declines in his game. DWill got $21 mil of a $41 mil deal guaranteed and I don't think the Bears will get anywhere near that but who knows what the new guy will think and whether or not Cliff Stein can come up with an arrangement that will make everyone happy.

As badly as we'd like to keep him Bell looked pretty damn good subbing for him. It's not out of the question any longer that they may franchise him and if they dont' even get close to an agreement and they can get fair value for him they trade him. A lot depends on who they hire as GM. If it's a guy who's hard nosed and want to make a stand to make a point that anyone is expendable it could happen. That's why I was saying he should cool it for now. Stirring it up in the press isn't gonna help him right now and it may hurt him.

Originally Posted by Riczaj01

I agree w/most of that. But I do see Forte's stance that if he's producing at or above DWill he that is where the negotiations should start.

I disagree about Bell, he fumbles far to much to be a legitimate option for Forte. He looked good running the ball, but he's not in the same hemisphere as Forte in talent or ability.

I admit the fumbling is a problem. We're not used to that because AP doesn't play for the Bears. And no, not at the talent level of Forte but a good backup and probably good enough to start for a team without a top RB.

As for his stance on the DWill thing I think they're gonna keep hammering home that DWill was a FA and therfore they were in competition with other teams whereas Forte is not and all we're competing with is ourselves. It's not that I don't think he's worth it and doesn't deserve it. It's just that I don't see the Bears ever going that way in negotiations.

Each side has already staked out the major points of their arguement. Forte's is; "I'm as good or better than a guy like DWill so I deserve that kind of deal" and the Bears is; "But you're not a free agent and we're not in the habit of bidding against ourselves". To get this settled both sides have to move off their stances and find somewhere in the middle to meet. Neither side is gonna get 100% of what they want.

Originally Posted by Riczaj01

I agree w/most of that. But I do see Forte's stance that if he's producing at or above DWill he that is where the negotiations should start.

I disagree about Bell, he fumbles far to much to be a legitimate option for Forte. He looked good running the ball, but he's not in the same hemisphere as Forte in talent or ability.

check his fumble numbers before the last 2-3 games...

and Forte's number at the start of his career

Even if Forte doesn't hold out and he plays under the franchise tag, he probably won't put forward his best effort on the field. That, in my opinion, would be unacceptable and counterproductive on his part. I actually think that Forte is worth more than DeAngelo Williams because of just how much he means to this offense. This past season, he was the MVP of the Bears, as he carried that team on his back for 12 games with his rushing and receiving skills. We haven't had a back like him since the days of Walter Payton. One thing, though, that may work against him, and Jerry Angelo gambled and won this bet, is his penchant for knee injuries. He played with a sprained MCL in 2009 and his production was way down from his rookie season. 2010 was his most complete season in terms of rushing and receiving over the course of a full year, especially when Martz realized that he had every bit as much talent as Marshall Faulk. However, we may have seen something very disturbing in Forte that goes back to 2009 with his left knee in terms of his durability over the course of a season. In that case, he may have difficulties making a case to be paid like one of the top five running backs in the NFL in terms of guaranteed money.