What’s the deal with the Bears and Matt Forte? What’s exactly is a Franchise Player and how does it relate to his small salary and ongoing negotiations? Thanks.
In the NFL, each team gets to name one player as its “franchise player.”
For the sake of argument, let’s say Aaron Rodgers’ contract is on the verge of running out, and he’s looking for an astronomical amount of money. If the Packers name him their franchise player, they can keep him for one more year. How much money will they have to pay him? The league will take the top 5 salaries being earned by NFL quarterbacks, calculate the average, and the Packers will have to pay him that amount.
In the case of WIll Forte, they’d figure out the 5 highest paid NFL running backs, calculate the average, and pay Forte that amount to hold on to him for one more season. Right now, that would mean he’d make a little over 8 million dollars next season.
Teams generally apply the “franchise” tag sparingly, but in the case of running backs, whose productive years are usually very short, it probably makes sense. When you’re dealing with quarterbacks or other guys that you’d LIKE to have aaround a long time, it’s better NOT to antagonize the player by forcing him to stay around just one season at less money than he thinks he’s worth.
Or they could just pay him the same as Christina Applegate.
Nitpick - under the new CBA, it’s the average of the top salary at the position for the last 5 seasons. Thus, the number for Forte is already known.
Don’t get sucked into the media created story.
Forte will get a contract. It will be for a lot of money and it will probably be for 5 years. It’s just about how much will be guaranteed and how long the deal will be. It’s all just negotiating. The Bears could franchise him in 2012 for a little over $7MM and again in 2013 for around $9MM. He turned down a deal in the preseason for $14MM guaranteed. If he gets franchised he’s actually getting a much better deal than if he had signed that deal. It’s almost certain that he will be franchised if negotiations stretch into the coming offseason. It will be a negotiating ploy, nonetheless. The Bears know that their overall layout will be less if they sign him to a 5 year deal now than if they franchise him twice and do it in 2014. All in all, it’s just posturing.
The media needs to create controversy, this is all fake. Forte wants to get paid but he knows full well that it’s coming one way or another, it’s just about percentage points. Even if Forte blows out a knee next week, he’s still getting franchised at worst. Forte has watched the Bears take care of their own players every offseason. He’s smart, he knows it’s going to happen for him too. That’s why he’s playing hard and why he’s mostly keeping quiet. His teammates will make noise for him, the media will talk and it will all be resolved regardless. These are classy, professional people, unlike the situation in Philly.
If that’s true, it’s only because it was a really shitty offer by the Bears.
No, it was a perfectly fair deal for a player who’d been merely above average to that point. This season he’s dramatically raised his game and the price went up. Good for him. Unless you propose that the Bears can predict the future…
Fat new contracts never result in a dropoff in production. C’mon.
Sincerely,
Chris Johnson
What he said.
Hugs,
Albert Haynesworth
They’re both right.
Love Actually,
Javon Walker