Matt Forte retires from the NFL, saying ‘it’s time for the workhorse to finally rest in his stable’

Running back Matt Forte announced his retirement from the NFL on Wednesday, releasing a statement on Twitter. In it, Forte discussed how football made his life better, thanked his parents, and the city of Chicago.

“I’d like to thank the New York Jets organization for the past two years,” he wrote. “My experience as a Jet was truly first rate. To all of my many coaches and teachers over the years, thank you for your dedication and commitment to my growth and success as a person and player.

“To the McCaskey family and the entire Chicago Bears organization, thank you for the honor of allowing me to be a part of the rich Chicago Bears tradition and to run in the footsteps of greats like Gale Sayers and Walter Payton. Lastly, to all Chicago Bears fans, you’re truly the best fans in all of professional sports. Thank you for embracing my family and me from day one!”

Both teams tweeted messages thanking Forte for his services:

Forte’s production has declined every year since his 2013 season, when he rushed for a career-high career-high 1,339 yards. Since joining the Jets in 2016, Forte’s numbers continued to drop. In 2017, he finished with 381 rushing yards and two touchdowns while playing only 12 games in an injury-shortened season.

Forte’s greater value last season was in the passing game. He put up 293 yards and a score on 37 catches over 12 games.

Before he was with the Jets, Forte had a storied career with the Chicago Bears as a game-changing threat both in the run and pass game. In eight years with the Bears, he had 9,415 rushing yards and 4,379 receiving yards while racking up 517 catches and 72 total touchdowns.

The Bears’ lack of success during that span meant Forte was somewhat underappreciated, getting named to just two Pro Bowls. His only playoff appearance happened in the 2010 season. But there’s no question he was a great player, and one of the more underrated of his generation.