Matt Forte decision looms for Bears

[truebluefan]

New Chicago Bears general manager Phil Emery has plenty of issues to address as he gets to work at Halas Hall. With three weeks to decide whether to apply the franchise tag on Pro Bowl running back Matt Forte, Emery's boss said Tuesday that the Bears won't let the Pro Bowl running back reach free agency.

"We'd like to (work out a long-term deal with Forte)," Bears president and CEO Ted Phillips said on "The Waddle & Silvy Show" on ESPN 1000. "But as Phil pointed out we obviously will at least consider placing the franchise tag on him. We don't have any intention of letting Matt hit the open market. We'll sit down with him privately, Phil will, and discuss what the plans are prior to the Feb. 20 franchise tag date."

Forte missed the final four games of the regular season after he suffered a sprained right medial collateral ligament during the Bears' home loss to Kansas City on Dec. 4. He finished the season with 1,487 yards from scrimmage, good enough numbers to earn Forte his first-ever spot on the NFC Pro Bowl roster.

Forte, who played in Sunday's Pro Bowl, turned down a contract offer from the Bears before the season with $13 million to $14 million in guaranteed money, ESPNChicago.com reported.

Read more: http://espn.go.com/chicago/nfl/story/_/i...matt-forte