Matt Forte
Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images
Chicago Bears running back
Matt Forte finds himself basically in the same situation as Ray Rice does. The NFL has been able to see what happens when running backs are extended for huge deals (Chris Johnson and DeAngelo Williams are two great examples), and then, the deal blows up in the team's face.
So, if the Ravens are going to apply the franchise tag to Ray Rice, it appears that the Bears will do the same thing to Matt Forte. It doesn't mean that Forte will be happy as a result, and it might make him even more unhappy than he was this year. There's that fine line to balance.
The running back franchise tag is actually getting less expensive, placing Forte at the $7.7 million mark for 2012.
My prediction: The Bears have not been overly generous to Forte, and they will try to get him to sign for less than the $7.7 million figure.