I personally wouldn’t give any running back big time money.
I think the Bears would be fine with or without Matt Forte, so I would make him play under the Franchise tag, but according to Pro Football Zone a deal is close to being completed, but they are running out of time.
According to Michael Lombardi of the NFL Network via NFL.com, the Chicago Bears and running back Matt Forte are “extremely close” to agreeing on a long-term contract.