Chicago Bears

Charles Tillman offers Matt Forte advice with free agency nearing

Published Feb. 2, 2016 1:37 p.m. ET

foxsports

Matt Forte's future is up in the air. After eight seasons as the Chicago Bears' starting running back, he's now heading toward unrestricted free agency.

Forte's former teammate, Carolina Panthers cornerback Charles Tillman, faced a similar situation last offseason. The Bears ended up moving on from Tillman after 12 seasons with the team, allowing him to sign with another squad on the open market.

Speaking at Super Bowl Opening Night, Tillman offered some advice for Forte.

Via Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune:

Sit in a room. Meditate on it. Pray about it. That would be my advice to him. Just pray about it. That was what I did. I just prayed. He had a plan and it worked out for me. Look at me now. I guess it worked out.

Forte missed a few games with a knee injury and rushed for a career-low 898 yards in 2015. He is 30 years old, and the Bears have a young, promising running back coming up behind him in Jeremy Langford, who accumulated over 800 yards from scrimmage as a rookie. Chicago could feel comfortable turning the page and moving forward with Langford.

Leaving the Bears wouldn't be the worst situation for Forte. Look at how it worked out for Tillman, who now has a chance to get a Super Bowl ring at age 34.