The Facts: Following up on the ongoing story. ... Forte is back with the Bears after skipping the early phases of the team’s voluntary offseason work while working out on his own. Those workouts, described as “rigorous speed training,” came as Forte enters the final year of his contract and that led to speculation that Forte’s absence was designed to get the Bears to extend his contract. Forte said he does want a new contract, but that he wasn’t staying away as leverage to get it and that he wouldn’t hold himself out of mandatory practices. “All I can do is play football. I’ve come to the realization that any run or catch I have could be my last in a Bears uniform. If they don’t want to re-sign me, I’ll have to play football somewhere else,” Forte said.

Diehards Line: The veteran added: "Nobody wants to play on a one-year deal, especially with the uncertainty of how football is. You just figure, a guy who’s been there since day one, has put in hard work and continues to produce, that guy should be rewarded. But it’s a business, and that doesn’t always happen. ..." In fact, as PFT's Josh Alper notes, it rarely happens for running backs who have turned 30 and Forte will hit that milestone in December, which will likely make 2015 a season-long audition for Forte to show the Bears and the rest of the league his worth.