Matt Forte Hopes Ryan Fitzpatrick Re-Signs With Jets
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) — Matt Forte has never played with Ryan Fitzpatrick, but that didn't stop the Jets' new running back from lobbying for the free agent quarterback to re-sign with the team Monday.
In a conference call, Forte told reporters he hopes Fitzpatrick is back in New York so the team can build off its 10-6 season.
MORE: Silverman: Jets Make Right Move With Forte, But Fall Way Short With Fitzpatrick
"Based off last year's production and the way Brandon (Marshall) has talked about the chemistry he's built with Ryan, I would expect and hope it would be him (at quarterback), just based off what they had last year," Forte said.
The Jets and Fitzpatrick are reportedly millions of dollars apart in contract talks. New York has been exploring alternatives at quarterback, including Robert Griffin III and Colin Kaepernick.
Forte signed a three-year, $12 million deal with the Jets last week . The two-time Pro Bowl selection has been one of the league's top playmaking running backs since being a second-round draft pick by the Chicago Bears out of Tulane in 2008. He ranked second in Bears history to Hall of Famer Walter Payton with 8,602 yards rushing, 487 receptions, 12,718 yards from scrimmage, 24 100-yard rushing games and 25 games with 150 yards or more from scrimmage. Forte also set the NFL's single-season record for receptions by a running back with 102 in 2014.
He said he was "surprised" the Bears declined to offer him even a "mid- to low-range" deal in free agency.
"For someone to tell you they don't want you back is always kind of a hard pill to swallow because that's where you've been the whole time. I was drafted there," he said. "But you roll with the punches. That's their decision and you move on."
Forte is 30, an age at which NFL running backs typically begin to decline, but he says the Jets talked to him about being "an every-down back."
MORE: NFL Free Agency Tracker
He added that the Jets were among about five teams, including Tampa Bay and Dallas, to show interest, but he picked New York because of its "really good defense" and its consistent offense, which "I know Fitzpatrick will be a big part of that, too."
Marshall, traded by the Bears to the Jets last offseason, helped with Forte's next step by "somewhat" recruiting him to join him in New York. The two are good friends, although there was some speculation about lingering friction because of comments made about each other last offseason.
Marshall had criticized Bears quarterback Jay Cutler, and Forte responded that the wide receiver didn't make himself accountable enough. The two spoke soon after and ironed out any differences.
"Me and Brandon, we hold each other accountable," Forte said. "Even when we're not on the same team, we do the same thing, because we're friends off the field, not just in the locker room. It may sound harsh when you're talking to each other over the media, and things may get twisted. But we spoke to each other on the phone after that, and hashed everything out."
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