Forte still reeling after leaving Bears: 'Always just a jersey number'

Matt Forte appears to be still reeling after the Chicago Bears' decision not to retain him at the end of the 2015 season.

Forte spent the first eight years of his career with the Bears, earning two Pro Bowl selections. The veteran running back signed a three-year, $12-million contract with the New York Jets in March, but his departure from Chicago evidently doesn't sit well with him.

"There’s no loyalty anyway because they don’t care about the player specifically," Forte said via Pro Football Weekly's Jacob Bartleson. "They care about the team. No matter how strong the ties are between the player and the team.

"You're always just a jersey number,"

Forte also said former Bears teammate Jay Cutler is the unfair object of scrutiny due to his body language.

"I feel bad for him because the cameras are constantly on him," Forte said. "They show his body language, and I mean, if you look on the sideline and something goes bad, everybody's body langauge is that way. He's the quarterback. He's the one in the spotlight.

"In the media, that's the thing to pick on. That's the thing that sells papers, so that's what they're gonna pick on. That's what they're gonna write about no matter what he says."

The 30-year-old made it clear he wanted to remain with the Bears but is moving forward as a member of the Jets.

"Obviously, I wanted to stay in (Chicago), but the Bears had other decisions," Forte said. "God is still good through all of this. I always look back and say I could be at home not doing anything at the same time. The Jets are great."