"The Vikings signed running back Adrian Peterson to a lucrative long-term contract extension earlier this year.

The Bears have not signed running back Matt Forte to one even though his deal is set to expire.

It is possible the Bears will choose to place the franchise tag on him. That way, it likely would cost the Bears a little less than $8 million for 2012, and they could reevaluate yearly.

It is an approach many teams would prefer to take with running backs because they often are not sound investments. It is not uncommon for a running back's production to drop off significantly during his second contract."