If Forte still wants too much $ while trying to play for a contender, a few other RBs I'd be interested are Bilal Powell, CJ Spiller, and Fred Jackson.
Fred Jackson is at the very end of his career, but would also be the cheapest. And we all know how much BB loved him. At 34 years old and coming off his worst year as a pro, he may have nothing left in the tank. However, he still caught 66 passes in 2014 and could be a camp option on a minimum veteran contract.
Spiller is not a FA, but he could be a release candidate. He got 13 games in with NO in his first year with the team, but they got better production from Tim Hightower & (ahem) a healthy Travis Cadet. Saints will take a $4.5m cap hit, but may want to get out of the contract earlier than later ($4.65m cap hit in 2018, last contract year). He's certainly been one of my favorite players over the years and am curious how Saints handle his contract.
Out of the three, the most intriguing option is Bilal Powell. I watched pretty much every Jets game this year and he was a revelation. I thought the Jets offense wasn't the same when he was out.
In 2015, he rushed for 313 yards for a 4.5 YPC and (shockingly) made 47 catches for 388 yards. Although Powell is 27 years old, he doesn't have a lot of wear & tear, averaging only 80 carries per year so far. He's a relatively smaller back, at 5'10" and 206 lb (Dion Lewis is 5'8" and 195 lb, while LGBT is 6'0" and 250 lb.)
I'd be thrilled with a "haul" of Sanu and Powell/Forte (although Forte is still at the top of the list, with the value he'll bring back + increasing cap).
Fred Jackson is at the very end of his career, but would also be the cheapest. And we all know how much BB loved him. At 34 years old and coming off his worst year as a pro, he may have nothing left in the tank. However, he still caught 66 passes in 2014 and could be a camp option on a minimum veteran contract.
Spiller is not a FA, but he could be a release candidate. He got 13 games in with NO in his first year with the team, but they got better production from Tim Hightower & (ahem) a healthy Travis Cadet. Saints will take a $4.5m cap hit, but may want to get out of the contract earlier than later ($4.65m cap hit in 2018, last contract year). He's certainly been one of my favorite players over the years and am curious how Saints handle his contract.
Out of the three, the most intriguing option is Bilal Powell. I watched pretty much every Jets game this year and he was a revelation. I thought the Jets offense wasn't the same when he was out.
In 2015, he rushed for 313 yards for a 4.5 YPC and (shockingly) made 47 catches for 388 yards. Although Powell is 27 years old, he doesn't have a lot of wear & tear, averaging only 80 carries per year so far. He's a relatively smaller back, at 5'10" and 206 lb (Dion Lewis is 5'8" and 195 lb, while LGBT is 6'0" and 250 lb.)
I'd be thrilled with a "haul" of Sanu and Powell/Forte (although Forte is still at the top of the list, with the value he'll bring back + increasing cap).
