With plenty of parts already in place on offense, the New York Jets were an easy choice for Matt Forte in free agency.
The former Bears running back told reporters Monday that he "envisioned" himself playing in New York's Chan Gailey-led attack, a move that reunites Forte with former Chicago wideout Brandon Marshall.
The duo went at each other last offseason, when the veteran back criticized Marshall, telling reporters that "sometimes Brandon couldn't hold himself accountable," per the New York Daily News.
Forte sang a different tune on Monday, citing Marshall's on-field talents and off-the-field pitch session as factors in joining the Jets.
"He gave me the whole rundown of the team and why I would be a good fit," Forte said of Marshall. "At that time, I really didn't think the Jets would be the frontrunner, but as it got closer and closer, I started thinking how it would be a good fit."
Said Forte: "No tension. Me and Brandon, we hold each other accountable. 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 might get twisted, but we spoke to each other over the phone after that and hashed everything out."
Here's what else we learned from Forte:
- Both Marshall and Forte are wondering what will happen under center, with New York entrenched in a stare down with free-agent quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick. "Based off of last year's production, you know, Brandon has talked about the chemistry he's built with Ryan, so I would expect and hopefully it would be him just to build off what they built last year."
- Forte acknowledged that it gave him pause to sign with a club missing their starting passer, saying: "Yeah, there is (hesitation), but I also thought that much about the organization."
- Even with Bilal Powell and Khiry Robinson on the roster, Forte is expecting a major role in New York's backfield. Coming off a campaign that saw him log his fewest carries since 2011, the 30-year-old runner said he feels "really healthy" this offseason, adding: "They see me as an every-down back, that's what we talked about. We left it at that."
