Jets running back Matt Forte has announced his retirement on Twitter.
https://t.co/DqIf5X7zIu pic.twitter.com/4PzGZNNdgM
— Matt Forte (@MattForte22) February 28, 2018
#Jets will gain $3M in cap room with Matt Forte's retirement
— Jason_OTC (@Jason_OTC) February 28, 2018
The move isn’t necessarily a major cap bonus for the Jets. Forte was virtually guaranteed to be cut to open that space anyway.
His retirement is not a major surprise, though. There will likely to be tepid at best interest in a 32 year old running back on his last legs.
Forte had a long and productive career, although his productive years came with the Chicago Bears. A second round pick out of Tulane in 2008, Forte spent his first eight seasons in Chicago. He signed with the Jets two years ago as one of the biggest additions to a team coming off a 10 win season. That signing didn’t work out too well. Forte was no longer capable of handling the heavy workload the Jets gave him, and the team struggled to a 5-11 record. The Jets probably would have cut him after 2016 had his contract structure not made it prohibitive to do so. He returned with a reduced workload in 2017 and was a bit more effective. His impact days were clearly gone, though, and the Jets struggled their way to another 5-11 season.
Forte will leave a good legacy in the league, and was a Bears great. His Jets tenure will go down as a disappointing footnote to a tremendous career.