Bears, Matt Forte beat deadline with 4-year, $32 million contract

FIRST REPORTED AT SUN-TIMES.COM: The sides had until 3 p.m. to work out a long-term deal or else Forte would’ve had to play the 2012 season under a franchise tag worth $7.742 million. Instead, he’ll get more than $18 million guaranteed, according to a source close to the situation, after rebuffing previous offers dating back to September.