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Julius Peppers trying to recruit Matt Forte to Green Bay

Courtesy of USA Today Images

When Julius Peppers bolted the Chicago Bears for the division-rival Green Bay Packers back in 2014, he caught a lot of people by surprise.

Green Bay is notorious for avoiding big-name free agents, instead electing to build primarily through the draft. It’s a philosophy that has worked extremely well for the team.

Now, heading into what is going to be an important free agency period, the Packers may have to buck that trend to keep up with the top dogs in the NFC. In this, there have been rumors that Green Bay might actually spend some cash in free agency.

One player that could very well be linked to the Packers is former Bears running back Matt Forte, who played four seasons with Peppers in the Windy City.

Considered friends, it shouldn’t be too much of a surprise that Peppers is attempting to recruit his former teammates to the Packers:

“Word is that another ex-Bear-turned-Packer, Julius Peppers, has been trying to recruit Forte to Green Bay,” ESPN’s Rob Demovsky reported on Monday. “It sounds like Forte wants to go to a contender, so perhaps the Packers could get him at an affordable price.”

Running back is one of the positions Green Bay is likely going to address either via free agency or the draft. Former second-round pick Eddie Lacy fell out of favor with the team this past season after continually showing up overweight and sluggish.

He ended up tallying just 758 rushing yards and a career low 4.1 yards per carry average. While Lacy appears to be working himself back in shape, it’s not yet known whether he’s earned the trust of Green Bay’s brass.

Lacy’s primary competition for the job, James Starks, is also expected to hit free agency on Wednesday. If he leaves, the Packers could very well be in position to add someone of Forte’s ilk.

Forte, 30, has put up 1,200-plus total yards in each of his first eight seasons in the NFL. This past season saw him record less than 900 rushing yards for the first time in his career.

Forte is considered by some the top free-agent running back in a strong class that includes Doug Martin, Alfred Morris, Arian Foster and Chris Ivory.

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