Will Matt Forte be cast into Canton?
By: Jake Rajala
Matt Forte, also unequivocally known as one of the most underrated running backs in NFL history, hung up his cleats in the 2018 off-season. Forte left behind a rampage of 14,468 all-purpose yards and 75 total touchdowns in his 10-year career. Furthermore, he garnered numerous Pro Bowl honors. It’s clear that he was a gifted runner and pass-catcher for his beloved Bears fan base between 2008 & 2015 (prior to playing two seasons with the New York Jets). With that said, the mighty question is: Is Forte a future Hall of Famer?
Forte was breathtaking to watch, a Madden favorite, and a savior to the Bears fan-base. However, I don’t believe he had a Hall of Fame-worthy career. His consistent top-end numbers still don’t justify his case to be a Hall of Famer.
Forte only garnered two Pro Bowl honors, zero All-Pro nods, and of course: zero Super Bowl rings in his career. He wasn’t near the caliber-RB that a distant HOF RB in Chris Johnson was. Johnson was able to be at the peak of the mountain top with his OPOY winning season (which also obviously resulted in first-team All-Pro, too). Johnson also had a few Pro Bowl trips in his career.
Bears fans may want to sacrifice me for not placing Forte in the football heaven category, but he simply didn’t have a CJ2k or Derrick Henry-like season in 2020 to couple with his other Pro Bowl snub seasons. Sadly, the Bears don’t have a ring of honor, so Forte cannot be held in that high level of praise. Ultimately, he should be placed in the hall of very good & regarded as a Bears legend with Mike Ditka, Buddy Ryan, and company.
