Matt Forte: it’s not about money, ‘I want to be in Super Bowls’
With his next career move up in the air, Matt Forte says he’s less concerned with money than he is with winning Super Bowls.
The longtime Bears running back, set to become a free agent this off-season, appeared on NFL Network Friday and said his focus is on winning titles at this stage of his career. Forte, 30, has not been offered a new contract by Chicago and will likely hit the open market.
"It's not even about the money," Forte said. "I want to be in the Super Bowls."
In eight seasons with the Bears, Forte has rushed for 8,602 yards, gained 4,116 yards as a receiver and scored 64 total touchdowns. He made the Pro Bowl in 2011 and 2013 and has long been regarded as one of the league’s top all-purpose backs.
When Forte missed time with injury this season, 24-year-old rookie Jeremy Langford emerged as a strong candidate to succeed Forte in the Chicago backfield. With the fourth-round pick appearing ready to handle more of the workload, the Bears are at a crossroads with Forte, long one of the faces of the team.
Should Forte be willing to take less money, it’s conceivable a contending team would have interest in adding him.
When asked, Forte added that the familiarity of having Jay Cutler as his quarterback was a draw for him to potentially continue on in Chicago.“He’s been there since my second year, I’m comfortable with him in the backfield, and despite what everyone says about him...he’s grown a lot...I think he’s grown a lot as a quarterback too. There’s a learning curve if you go to a team and everything’s new.”
