Remember Matt Forte? He was that guy sprinting into open patches of grass last fall. Maybe you forgot about him.
You probably remember Marion Barber. It's hard to forget his Denver meltdown.
Meet Michael Bush. He used to be a backup RB in Oakland. Now he's with the Bears. He will earn $7 million, guaranteed. His full deal is for $14 million over four years. That's a lot of money. For a backup running back.
You know who starts at running back for the Bears? Matt Forte. And the Bears have not yet paid the man.
This isn't like a bill that fell between your couch cushions. This is a living, breathing human being. The star of many of your 2011 highlights. The man who actually made defenders miss. The first Pro Bowl running back the Bears have had since Neal Anderson.
Where's the money?
Yes, he has the franchise tag, so he'll make around $7 million a year. But the man made less than $4 million for his first four years in the league. He deserves a little payback on that effort.
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Also, the Bears drove up their own price on Forte by paying his backup a guaranteed $7 million. Insane.
Some think NFL running backs grow on trees. But Forte is something special. The Bears should make him happy. They don't need to go overboard. Sign the man to a three or four year deal.
Or we can go back to the well that gave us Cedric Benson and Curtis Enis and Rashaan Salaam and Anthony Thomas.
Pay the man.
