Chicago Bears tag RB Matt Forte - NFL News
Chicago Bears on Friday announced that they have placed a franchise tag on running back Matt Forte which will keep the 26-year-old at the franchise for another year barring the signing of a new long term deal.
Forte, whose rookie contract expired this season, has been placed on the tag to stop him from reaching free agency as no long term deal could be agreed upon between both parties.
The Bears had till, the March 5 deadline, to place the tag on the running back or risk losing him to another franchise as a free agent.
However, since the Bears had previously stated that they will not allow Forte to reach free agency under any circumstances a franchise tag was the only option available.
New Bears general manager Phil Emery in a statement said that the tag is to keep Forte at the franchise and they will continue to work with the player to reach a new long term deal.
"Matt is an important part of our football team and we chose to utilize the franchise tag to ensure he remains a Bear. We believe in Matt as a player and a person. Our intention is to continue to work to find common ground and keep Matt as a member of the
Chicago Bears in 2012 and beyond."
The two sides can continue to negotiate for a new contract till the July 16 deadline and most analysts believe that the tag is temporary to provide more time to Chicago Bears to reach a new agreement.
According to the new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) signed between the National Football League (NFL) franchise owners and the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA) tagged players will earn a salary which will be the average of the
top five salaries earned by players in the same position over the past five seasons.
This would mean that Forte will earn around $ 7.7 million in salaries and wages.
The running back in previous interviews had stated that the Bears could tag him but they cannot force him to play for them.
However, in recent times Forte has said that he would not mind being tagged until it leads to a new deal.
"They’re doing (it) to just get more time in order to negotiate a long-term deal. But if it's just to hold me another year, that's not going to solve anything."
With the tag in place the Bears will hope that they can agree a new deal with Forte and end the long running contract saga.
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