Matt Forte Says Bears Would Be 'Selfish' To Move To Indiana
The former Chicago Bears running back isn’t on board with the team potentially leaving Illinois.
Former Chicago Bears running back Matt Forte isn't thrilled about the possibility of his former team packing up and leaving Illinois. And if the franchise does move across the state line, Forte says it might have to leave the "Chicago" behind, too.
During the latest episode of Sports Spectrum's Tuesday Morning RB podcast with his co-host Jason Romano, Forte was not a fan of the growing push from Indiana lawmakers to lure the Bears out of the Windy City.
"Absolutely not. The Bears cannot go to Indiana," Forte said. "And you know what? If they end up going to Indiana, I feel like that's selfish and that they didn't compromise and work with the city."
Forte, who played eight seasons in Chicago and remains one of the most productive running backs in franchise history, said the team's identity is deeply tied to the city.
"If you leave Chicago, leave the name too," he added. "If you go to Indiana, you're going to be the Indiana Bears."
Romano joked that the idea sounded "horrible," and Forte admitted he still struggles to even picture it as a possibility.
"I just can't see it happening," Forte said. "I mean, it's just been something that has been a staple for so long."
The Bears have been synonymous with Chicago for more than a century, and Forte emphasized how central the franchise is to the city's sports culture.
"When you come here, you hear people say, ‘Cubs or White Sox,’ and they talk about the Blackhawks, talk about the Bulls. Even the soccer team, they talk about the Chicago Fire," Forte said. "But I mean, it's a Bears state. It's a Bears city as well. It's the Chicago Bears."
Former NFL running back Matt Forte of the Chicago Bears pumps the crowd up prior to the NFL divisional playoff football game against the Los Angeles Rams at Soldier Field.
(Photo by Kara Durrette/Getty Images)
Forte also pointed out that even when other Chicago teams are successful, the city still revolves around the NFL season.
"When I played here, during that time the Blackhawks were winning championships every year or every other year," Forte said. "There’d be this huge parade and all this stuff, and then it’d be like, ‘All right, Bears season is coming up.’"
Still, the possibility of the team relocating is very real.
The Bears' Current Lease At Soldier Field Runs Through 2033
As OutKick's Armando Salguero reported, Indiana lawmakers are aggressively pursuing the franchise. Indiana Governor Mike Braun recently signed legislation establishing a stadium authority in Hammond, just across the state line from Chicago.
READ: Indiana Makes Another Major Push In Tug Of War To Wrestle Bears From Illinois
The law allows for funding and financing of a potential new stadium roughly 20 miles from Soldier Field. The proposal includes a special taxing district around the stadium site, with the Bears reportedly committing about $2 billion toward the project while public funding could cover roughly $1 billion.
Despite the legislative momentum in Indiana, the Bears have carefully avoided committing to either state.
On Indiana's proposal, the team said: "Indiana has taken important steps over the last few months, and we are grateful for the leadership reflected by Governor Braun signing SB 27, establishing the framework for a stadium development in Northwest Indiana."
Matt Forte celebrates after scoring a touchdown.
(Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
They issued a similarly neutral response to a competing Illinois proposal designed to keep the team in the state.
For Forte, though, the idea of the Bears leaving their iconic lakefront spot in Chicago is too hard to stomach. And most Bears fans would probably agree.