Matt Forte: Bears bucked history by paying big for Ben Johnson

NEW ORLEANS — Matt Forte wasn’t surprised that the Bears decided to pair the hottest play-caller in the NFL with quarterback Caleb Williams.

The former Bears running back was surprised, though, that they broke the bank to do it.

“I wish they wouldn’t have been that cheap when I was there,” he said with a smile Monday night. “But they seem to be cutting the checks. I just came at the wrong time. I had to fight for mine.”

Forte, who famously played hardball with the Bears for his four-year contract extension in 2012, said he was excited by the team’s decision to hire Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson as their head coach.

“It’s something that is a trend,” said Forte, a Louisiana native who went to Tulane before spending 2008-15 with the Bears. “You see a quarterback that we know is talented and then you’ve got an offensive coordinator from another team that’s this successful? OK, let’s match the two. So it’s nothing new.

"It’s exciting that people are seeing that a system like that can accentuate Caleb’s talent. But I’m staying humble about it. I’m staying even-keeled.”

Forte is intrigued by Williams — “He has many different tough throws, and I like that he hasn’t turned the ball over a ton,” he said — and hopes that Johnson will make him better. The Bears are paying Johnson around $13 million per year, about double Matt Eberflus’ salary.

“The saying is you get what you pay for, right?” Forte said. “I hope the best for the Bears, man. When it comes to this, one part and one piece doesn’t change the whole dynamic of the organization. But I hope that they’re able to shore up that front line to actually give Caleb some time and let him use these weapons he has on the outside. And the running backs, too. Give them some space to be able to keep the defense guessing.”

And add some players to block.

“When I was there, there were many different combinations on the offensive line,” he said. “Some of the ones we went and got in free agency didn’t turn out — or in the draft. It comes down to getting the right guys up front that work together. Health is one aspect of it. When you draft a guy, you’re expecting him to play and to contribute. The scouting department has a big job to do as well.”