One team that is going to take a good, hard look at all options when it comes to running back are the Seattle Seahawks, having to replace something of an icon this offseason. Matt Forte, who won’t be coming back to the Chicago Bears, could be their eventual choice.
Marshawn Lynch, who always did things way, right now seems to be retiring, although there are rumors going around he’s doing it to skip as much as possible from the offseason schedule, which won’t make him the first player to seek a longer vacation while keeping himself in demand. But regardless of his true intentions, the Seahawks are currently operating bases on Lynch no longer being available to them next season.
In house options and the draft are obvious directions for a team limited in spending power, but someone like Forte, who would have posted a fourth consecutive season with over 1000 yards had he played more than 13 games in 2015, who doesn’t mind blocking and is excellent in the passing game (his two weakest catching seasons are 44 receptions) could be a very suitable replacement to Lynch, although obviously not identical.
One thing, however, that could get in the way of this happening is money, as always. Forte had a cap hit of $9.2 million last season and while he had a rough 2015 which leads to his exit from Chicago, he’s not going to look for any kind of contract just to stay employed. The Seahawks do have Thomas Rawls who they were very pleased with last season and going into 2016 they already have $132 million counting against the cap, without making any restructures or cutting someone.
Forte has been heading towards this moment for a while. Even after posting two consecutive seasons of over 1800 yards from scrimmage, it felt like he and the Bears, the team he’s been playing for since 2008, aren’t going to last forever, with this uneasy tension going on despite his production. Now he’s going to test the market, and hope he finds teams still interested in a 30-year old running back with eight seasons and 120 games carried on his body.