It's unlikely that he'll be moved, but Matt Forte is glad to know that teams are interested.
With Tuesday's 4 p.m. ET trade deadline closing in, the Chicago Tribune reported that at least two teams talked internally about trading for the Bears running back. Forte is agitated because of his sluggish contract negotiations with the team, but the Bears have expressed no desire for a trade, according to the newspaper.
"I'm glad teams are interested," Forte told the Tribune after Chicago's win over the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday night. "For me to be out here working as hard as I do and not have a contract extension, you kind of get that feeling of being unappreciated. I just hope that when this year is over and I play as well as I've been playing, that if the Bears don't reward me with a contract, another team will."
Bears general manager Jerry Angelo told the Tribune that contract talks are at a "standstill."
"The longer they wait, the more Matt's going to question whether he's in their long-term plans," said Forte's agent, Adisa Bakari.
It's been a chore to keep quarterback Jay Cutler happy in an offensive system that's subjected him to repeated beatings behind a troubled offensive line. Any scenario that rushes Forte out the door would only turn up the heat on Cutler. There's not much to these trade reports from Chicago's side of things, but Forte's clearly open to the idea of moving on.
