The New York Jets signed Matt Forte to a three-year deal worth $12 million during the 2016 season, but after only one season the Jets are reportedly trying to part ways with the running back.
Jets rumored to be shopping Matt Forte
Don’t expect to see a team trade for Matt Forte.
Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images
NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reports that the team is shopping Forte, although it may be difficult to move his entire contract.
Forte is due to count $5 million against the salary cap in 2017 and $4 million in 2018. That’s pricy for a 31-year-old running back, and Pelissero said the Jets may need to take on some of the $4 million he’s guaranteed in 2017 to grease the wheels on a potential deal.
If the Jets do pull together a trade, it would likely be Bilal Powell starting and taking the majority of the snaps at running back for the team in 2017.
Why this makes sense
Just about everything.
The Jets are as far from contenders as any team in the NFL and Forte isn’t going to be around long enough for the team to turn it around. He might not even be in the NFL by the time the 2018 season rolls around.
Running backs rarely produce after 30 and Forte averaged just 3.7 yards per carry in 2016 — his worst total since 2009. Powell averaged 5.5 yards per carry.
If the Jets can get anything in return for Forte and clear his salary off the books, or even a fraction of it, it’d be a huge coup for the team.
Why this doesn’t make sense
The only real negative for the Jets is that trading Forte leaves the team with Powell and not much else at running back. Sixth-round rookie Elijah McGuire may be the next best option.
Powell has never been featured back, and McGuire as well as all the other running backs on roster are big question marks. Trading Forte leaves the team with a shaky situation, at best.
Chances of trade happening (1-10): 2
The problem with a potential trade isn’t that it doesn’t make sense for the Jets, it’s that why would any team make it?
Even if a team was desperate for a veteran running back to give the roster a boost, there are free agents like Rashad Jennings, Ryan Mathews, or Reggie Bush just waiting to be scooped up.
The likeliest way a trade would make sense is if it came with the Jets eating a large chunk of the salary and making it a conditional deal that is dependent on Forte being successful in 2017. The best bet is that a deal like that doesn’t get done.
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