The Facts:
Following up on a
previous item. ... Jay Cutler views the contract situation concerning Forte "purely as business," but in the end would be "shocked" if the running back doesn't sign his franchise tender before the NFL's July 16 deadline and report to training camp on time. Cutler said that for the Bears "to get to where we need to be, we need Matt Forte. He knows that. The Bears know that."
Reported by ESPN.com
Fantasy Football Diehards Line:
"I would be shocked if he doesn't sign his tender by July 15, or whenever it is, and he shows up," Cutler added. "At the end of the day, I think Matt knows it's business. He's still getting seven-whatever-million dollars to play this year. So he's gonna show up. ..." But as ESPN.com's Michael C. Wright suggest, the reality is that's still an uncertainty. Despite working to negotiate a new contact since last summer, the sides haven't been able to reach common ground. If Forte and the Bears don't reach a long-term agreement by the deadline, the running back must play under the franchise tag, which will pay approximately $7.7 million. Should Forte decide to hold out, which Wright considers "a definite possibility," Cutler is confident that free-agent acquisition Michael Bush is capable of filling in effectively. "[Bush is] not quite as explosive as Matt is, but Mike, he'll get the job done if need be," Cutler said -- quickly reiterating he doesn't believe it will come to that. ... We'll see.
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