As the offseason goes, when there is new of a player who will not be brought back by his team or when a release happens, fans from other teams immediately wonder if the team they root for should go after him. This is exactly what has happened with running back Matt Forte.
Forte was informed by the Chicago Bears they will not try to bring him back. He will be a free agent.
Forte, now 30 years old, saw his numbers slip in 2015. After rushing for over 1000 yards and catching 102 passes in 2014, he rushed for fewer than 900 and caught only 44 passes in 2015.
All this leads to the question -- should the Arizona Cardinals pursue Forte?
After all, Bruce Arians has said he wants to find another player like David Johnson and Johnson has been compared to Matt Forte as a back. Why not add the original Matt Forte to the newer version of him?
That is a great thought, except there are some problems.
First of all, Johnson will be the starter at RB in 2016. The team believes he is ready to be the bell cow on offense. Forte likely still wants to be a starter, command starter money and get starter touches.
There are a number of teams who are looking for a running back with Forte's skill set.
He will probably want much more money than what the Cardinals would be willing to pay him. General manager Steve Keim is one to use low one-year contracts for veterans like Forte. He is not likely going to have to settle for that.
Now, if he were willing to take less money, get less touches and be a backup, well, he would be a perfect fit in Arizona. He would be a veteran presence in the locker room and would be able to just slide right into the Arizona offense when Johnson needs a rest.
Will that happen? Don't count on it.