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According to multiple reports, Matt Forte has agreed to terms on a four-year contract. Terms of the deal have not been officially announced, but ESPN insider Adam Schefter is reporting the deal averages over $8 million annually.

According to Chicago Sun-Times staffer Sean Jensen, Forte will get more than $18 million of the $32 million guaranteed.

The guaranteed money is less than what LeSean McCoy and Arian Foster received earlier this offseason. But those players signed five-year deals, with $20.7 million guaranteed.

As NFL.com's Marc Sessler noted, "Forte's multi-year pact is the result of a tug-of-war with the Bears that started more than a season ago."

He refused to sign his one-year, $7.749 million franchise tender to push for a long-term commitment from the Bears' front office. The team showed little urgency, which adds an element of surprise to the deal.

Sessler went on to point out nobody expected Forte to come close to the seven-year, $96 million contract the Minnesota Vikings handed Adrian Peterson last season. The market for second-contract running backs has grown brutal as teams move to committee backfields and emphasize the pass.

Still, Forte is one of the NFL's most productive players over the past four seasons. His 4,233 rushing yards, 1,985 receiving yards and 29 touchdowns make him the Bears' most reliable weapon.

The question for Fantasy owners is how much will the Bears continue to rely on Forte going forward?

Remember, the focus in Chicago this offseason seems to have been locked on making sure the offense runs more through Jay Cutler than Forte.

Gone is the demanding quarterback guru (Mike Martz), having been replaced by a much more hands-off coordinator Mike Tice.

The Bears recruited Cutler’s former QB coach from his Denver days, Jeremy Bates, and even paid big money to sign Cutler’s former top target from Denver, Brandon Marshall. In April, Chicago used a second round pick on wideout Alshon Jeffery.

It was as if Chicago’s offseason was built around making Cutler happy.

And there were times it appeared that management was making a concerted effort to irritate Forte -- something they clearly did by adding free-agent running back Michael Bush to the roster.

Bush brings a contrast in styles as a bulldog back with quick, light feet and a role as a short-yardage option is all but certain. And of all the veteran backs signed on in recent years to complement Forte, non have been as capable as Bush appears to be in terms of carving out a legitimate niche.

While Bush could be the most effective goal-line threat the Bears have had at the position (a role previously held by Marion Barber), how concerned should Fantasy owners be about the change in offenses?

Probably not too much.

Tice won't veer entirely from the Forte-centric offense and with defenses backed off to honor the new weaponry at wide receiver -- Marshall, Alshon Jeffery and committed slot receiver Devin Hester -- Forte should have plenty of room to run.

The Bears' front five is constructed to be a plow-horse group, especially if Chris Williams starts at left tackle.

With regard to Bush's goal-line presence, that hasn't been an area in which Forte has excelled anyhow.

Of his 29 career touchdowns, only eight have been runs of five yards or less.

If Forte takes a step back in any individual statistical category, watch for his receptions and yards-per-catch to dip based on Cutler's new cast of receiving options.

But overall? I still have Forte at No. 10 in my current rankings and now that he's in the fold, I'll be watching for training camp developments that might change that ranking, but I have a sneaking suspicion that if I'm moving him, it will be up.