New York Jets NFL Trade and Roster Rumors: Is Matt Forte on the Trading Block?
Unlike in previous years, National Football League (NFL) teams will only have one day to cut their roster down from 90 to 53 players, so clubs are going to be quite busy until the deadline today, Saturday, Sept. 2, at 4 p.m. ET.
Veteran players are getting shopped around the league at this time, and it appears that the New York Jets may have placed one of their more productive running backs on the trading block.
NFL Network's Tom Pelissero has reported that the Jets are gauging the trade market for Matt Forte now that he's healthy. However, his four-million dollars guaranteed salary may be difficult to move before the weekend, and it has been suggested that they may have to consider absorbing a chunk of his salary if they want to attract teams in the market.
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The Jets have already unloaded veterans like Darrelle Revis, Nick Mangold, Eric Decker and Brandon Marshall this offseason as they continue to rebuild, and Forte may join that list soon. The former Bears running back production has declined in the past two seasons, but he's still a solid contributor who can help a contender next season.
However, Forte has come out and said that Jets general manager Mike Maccagnan has assured him he wasn't getting traded. Still, it should be noted that the report came from a respected NFL insider who doesn't go around spreading fake news, so there might be some truth to the rumor.
"The NFL Network report came from a reputable reporter, so it likely has legs. The Jets, like 31 other teams, make calls across the league to discuss players who might be available. Some folks on One Jets Drive, frankly, would probably prefer to unload Forte and his $4 million guaranteed salary. It would be surprising, however, if any team would be willing to take on that salary for a 31-year-old running back," Manish Mehta and Daniel Popper wrote in their report for the New York Daily News.
