NFL Trade Rumors: Matt Forte to Bucs is highly unlikely

The Chicago Bears are holding a fire sale, which means random completely baseless rumors are starting to fly. Here's today's baseless rumor: Matt Forte to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, which is based on absolutely zero reports, credible or otherwise. In fact, the only report on the Bears and Forte is that they don't want to trade him.

Still, the rumor's out there which means we get to address it for no reason other than that people are talking about it. So here's the long and short of it:

The Buccaneers are extremely unlikely to trade for Matt Forte, and there's no reason to believe the Bucs will.

Reasons this move would make sense anyway

Lovie Smith used to coach Matt Forte and the Bears are trading people.

Reasons this move makes no sense

The Bucs have a good running back in a resurrected Doug Martin, and they're not using him enough. They also have Forte-lite in Charles Sims, who's doing well as a receiving back. There's no room or need for Forte.

Forte's aging (29 years old), expensive ($7.7 million this year) and in the final year of his contract.

The Bucs need all the assets they have to continue building their team, not to add old, one-year rentals that don't fill a need.

Lovie Smith likes his former players, but only if he can pick them up off waivers or in free agency, not in trade.

Now the Bucs trading for Willie Young, that I could understand.