New York Jets: Should Matt Forte be put on trade block as well?
Before the 2016 season started I predicted the New York Jets to have one of the best offenses in the NFL for that year. How could they not with Brandon Marshall coming off 109 receptions for 1509 yards and 14 touchdowns. Eric Decker had himself a solid year with 80 receptions for 1027 and 12 touchdowns. And how can we forget the Ryan Fitzpatrick explosion of 3905 yards and 31 touchdowns? Now they were adding Matt Forte to the offense.
With the addition of Forte, the Jets were in prime position to make some noise in the AFC East and possibly challenge the New England Patriots. Well, that didn’t work out so good and the Jets finished the 2016 year with a disappointing 5-11 record. Fast forward to the 2017 offseason and that once powerful offense is no more.
Fitzpatrick is gone. So is Marshall and soon-to-be Decker. All that’s left is Forte which doesn’t bode well for him.
Forte is not Todd Gurley, Ezekiel Elliot or Jay Ajayi. Forte will be 32 before the season ends and his production has taken a hit over the last 2 seasons. With news that the Jets will release Decker and the team still not stable at the Quarterback position, what will Forte’s role be? Will he be asked to carry the ball the same 218 times he did last year or will his role have to increase? Better yet, should he want that role?
Forte is a veteran who has played on teams with no real shot at winning. Doesn’t he deserve a chance to end his career with a playoff contender than the basement-dwelling Jets?
If Forte can’t make his mind up then the Jets should gladly do it for him.
Decker was a cap casualty, however, Forte only has a base salary of $4M. His contract won’t hurt the Jets but will the Jets hurt him? If he’s to be the workhorse then Forte may be in for a world of trouble in 2017. There is no QB, no viable receivers and the defense has gone through more players than the Kardashian’s. The team is clearly in rebuild mode and Forte seems to be the lone-wolf in the locker room. Maybe the Jets will ask too much of Forte. Or, this could be exactly what he wants. Maybe he wants to prove that he can turn back the hands of time when he was posting season averages of 1000 yards rushing and 600 yards receiving.
Forte is not built like that anymore and the Jets are not doing him any favors by expecting him to be. The best option is for the Jets to continue cleaning house and put Forte up for sale.
Mark has been covering Sports and Entertainment for the past six years. His work has been featured on Bleacher Report, ESPN, Fox Sports, Teen Vogue, and many other websites.
