Thread: On the topic of trades.....

Probably not all that high given the current value of running backs in the NFL. You also really don't have any leverage. A third or fourth if you're lucky from the right team otherwise they wait for him to hit the FA market.

Evernight is probably right and that assumes we could even trade him at all. You can't just tag a guy and trade him so unless he signs a new deal we either have to tag him again or let him go into FA.

The only other way around it I can see is some kind of a sign and trade deal where he signs with the Bears contingent on a trade both teams find acceptable. Then the other team picks up that contract and it's salary guarantees. There would be no signing bonus though since the Bears would have to eat that.

You might leverage it up to a 2nd round pick with the right team but that's probably stretching it. That's why I was saying before the draft that if we were gonna do it that would be the time when his value would be the highest. He's the perfect back for the Bears and any other passing team that throws a lot to their RB and maybe he'd be worth what he's asking if he was two years younger with 500-600 less touches.

If we let him test FA next year he may well find out what Briggs did. The Bears may actually place a higher value on him than others will. I may be wrong but I think we've seen the top of the market as far as RB deals are concerned and the reality of it is no matter what the total value of these contracts are guys are getting about $7 mil or less per year guaranteed to them for 3 years and that's it. After that there are no guarantees and if their price is too high they'll be asked to renegotiate or they'll become cap casualties.

Every single one of those $40 mil deals has a "good luck" clause in it. Or in other words after we've paid you the guaranteed amount "good luck" collecting the rest.

So they should trade him now... while he still has value.

Is what you're saying.

OMG EVERYONE!

/points finger

THESE GUYS WANNA TRADE FORTE!

/troll

We all know he's not going anywhere.

Yeah, i didnt think the value would be all that much, but hoping he's worth more than the trade of thomas jones, which got us a higher second rounder and a horrible running game. I have more faith in emery replacing him with someone better than cedric the bust. That's based purely on the fact that angelo drafted garrett wolfe.

Originally Posted by Henry Burris

Yeah, i didnt think the value would be all that much, but hoping he's worth more than the trade of thomas jones, which got us a higher second rounder and a horrible running game. I have more faith in emery replacing him with someone better than cedric the bust. That's based purely on the fact that angelo drafted garrett wolfe.

When he drafted Wolfe Angelo was thinking he was getting a "poor mans" Warrick Dunn when in reality all we got was a RB named Garrett Wolfe who was just poor period.

I've made my case for keeping Forte many times and I still believe that as far as his value to the Bears is concerned he's over pricing himself. It makes relatively little difference what other backs are getting. They aren't Matt Forte and they don't play for the Bears. The Bears are not gonna match a deal like DWill got.

When I say that we can win without Matt Forte at RB is comes from quite a few years of watching the Broncos get 1000 yard plus seasons out of guys like Terrell Davis, Olandis Gary, and Mike Anderson who were late round draft picks or UDFA's. If you build a good zone blocking line and put a one cut type back behind them you'll have a decent running attack if you have any kind of passing game at all to go with it.

I don't want to lose Matt Forte and I'm 99% certain he'll show up for at least some of camp and be ready to play in September. Beyond this year I have no idea of what might happen it he doesn't agree to a longer term deal but I doubt seriously that we'll be able to trade him unless we can sign him and if we can sign him why trade him?

Believe me, I'm 100% against trading him, but I was 100% against trading TJ, and well, that happened. I guess I should've rephrased the question to ask, if the worst happens, would we get more than we got for Jones?

At any other time, I would say 'absolutely!' and anything less would be a crime.

But the way the game is changing today... I dunno.

Originally Posted by Henry Burris

Believe me, I'm 100% against trading him, but I was 100% against trading TJ, and well, that happened. I guess I should've rephrased the question to ask, if the worst happens, would we get more than we got for Jones?

Doubtful Henry. TJ was still playing under his original 4 year contract with the Bears. He would have become a FA if we didn't extend him but with a first round pick and the money he had tied up in Benson JA didn't want to do that. So he traded TJ before his deal was up and TJ signed a new deal with the Jets the following year.

This is different because Forte isn't under contract. He's an UFA whose been tagged as an ERFA and we can't trade him under that tag even if he does sign it. He would need to agree to a new deal for that to happen. Our opportunity to do with him what we did with TJ would have been there last fall while he was still in the last year of his rookie deal. Once we passed on that we lost that opportunity.

It's pretty plain that the Bears don't want to lose him but they can't afford to overpay him either so they're using every bit of leverage they have to keep him on the team. My guess is that if he still refuses to agree to a new deal the Bears will continue to try to get a deal done after this season is over. If he has another stupendous year they may actually tag him again. It's not out of the question.

Right now it's a chess match that may end in a draw which means Forte plays under his FT tender. Then the game starts anew next January or February when the Bears need to either get him to accept their offer, tag him again, or let him shop himself as a UFA. They could also tag him as a Non-Exclusive Rights FA and let him negotiate with other teams but preserve their right to match any offer and keep him.

As shitty as it may be all of the high cards are in the Bears hand. The only leverage Forte has is to hold out and the Bears have already taken steps to cover that if that's what he decides to do. I don't think any of us can see him giving up $7.74 mil to make his point though. I don't deny that he's a victim of circumstances that don't favor his getting a top dollar deal but unless he accepts that this will drag on into next year as well.