Chicago Bears Roster: Matt Forte, Alshon Jeffery on Trading Block?
The Chicago Bears are starting to think about the future, not the postseason, as they are winless after three games in the start of the season. History is not on their side as only five teams have come back from a 0-3 start to make the playoffs and none since the 1998 Buffalo Bills, per USA Today.
Chicago's apparent fire sale started when they traded veteran defensive end Jared Allen to Carolina Panthers for a sixth-round pick, as first reported by Jay Glazer on Twitter. After that, they announced via ESPN that linebacker Jonathan Bostic was traded to the New England Patriots for an undisclosed draft pick.
According to Yahoo! Sports, the Allen trade works for both teams involved as the 33-year-old was not a good fit at the Bears' new 3-4 defense while the Panthers are a playoff contender and has won the NFC South in the past two seasons. The Bostic trade was more of an unproductive player looking for a new start as he was a second-round pick in 2013, who never quite reached his potential with the Bears.
Two more Bears players are needed to be traded, running back Matt Forte and wide receiver Alshon Jeffery, as per ESPN. Both will be free agents after the season and the Bears is smart to trade them for picks rather than let them walk for nothing.
Forte, 29, has not been offered a new contract by general manager Ryan Pace at the start of the season. He has been named to the Pro-Bowl two times and is an effective offensive player that can carry the team's load and should be a great addition to a contender, who may suffer from an injury at the running back position.
In a report from NBC Chicago, Forte expressed his frustration about his contract situation at the start of the season, saying, "It's just kind of discouraging as a player. You know, I've been here 7 years, going on 8 and I've been producing at a constant level, year after year."
"For them to not want to do an extension, which would obviously extend my career in this city, it's just kind of discouraging because you feel like the guys that do that should be rewarded," he added.
As for Jeffery, he has been out the past two weeks with an injured hamstring and is just 25 years old. ESPN adds that the player might want to test the free agency market and it will be foolish for the Bears to not receive anything for a former Pro Bowl selection.
The team's plans seem to be a long rebuilding process, and players who are not going to be a part of those plans will be traded or let go. Their poor start of the season maybe the reason why they are looking forward into the future.
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