The Chicago Bears recently settled on hiring Kansas City chiefs director of college scouting Phil Emery as their new general manager, and now comes the situation with star running back Matt Forte. According to Bears CEO and president Ted Phillips, the Bears have no intention of letting him reach free agency. ESPN Chicago has the quotes:
We'd like to (work out a long-term deal with Forte). 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 has previously hinted that he could holdout if the Bears try to place the franchise tag on him. He's been gunning for a long-term contract in Chicago for a while now, with the process becoming increasingly public as his free agency nears.
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