Pending Bears Free Agent Says He’d Return, But Doubts ‘The Feeling Would Be Mutual’

D’Onta Foreman has had an up and down season with the Chicago Bears, and his recent comments reflect as much.

The veteran running back signed a one-year, $2 million contract with the Bears last offseason ($1 million guaranteed). After being a healthy scratch in four of his first five games, he carved out a role for himself Weeks 6-11, when injury struck fellow RBs Khalil Herbert and Roschon Johnson. Or so it seemed.

That role diminished again as the season went on, and Foreman says he’s never had full clarity about why. In an interview with Clocker Sports on January 4, Foreman was asked how he felt about the up-and-down nature of his 2023 season. His response was succinct and very telling.

“S*****,” he said, before going on to say he didn’t believe his chances to return to the Windy City next season were all that great.

Foreman began the 2023 season second on Chicago’s depth chart behind Herbert. Johnson, a promising rookie out of Texas, was RB3.

Herbert got the bulk of the team’s carries (he finished with 132 carries for 611 yards (4.6 yards per carry) and two touchdowns, while Foreman had 109 carries for 425 yards (3.9 yards per carry), tying for the team-high in rushing TDs with four. Johnson finished with 81 rushes for 352 yards (4.3 YPC) and two scores.

During the six-week span he served as a feature back, Foreman gained 365 yards, scored five total touchdowns and averaged 4.0 yards per carry. After Herbert returned to action Week 11, he had a down game against the Cleveland Browns, rushing six times for -6 yards. He was active for one more game after that before being a healthy scratch for Chicago’s final three games.

When Clocker Sports asked if he spoke to any coaches to get clarity about his role, Foreman answered in the negative.

“We haven’t really had no real conversation about it,” he said. “But I definitely plan on having some type of conversation before it’s all said and done. Just get some clarity about some stuff.”

D’Onta Foreman on Returning to Bears: ‘I Want to Play Football’

Foreman was also asked by Clocker Sports whether he’d like to return to Chicago next season. “Do I want to be back? I mean, I want to play football. So if the feeling is mutual, then yeah. But I think based on the way stuff been going, it’s hard to say the feeling would be mutual,” he said.

Foreman again reiterated that sentiment during exit interviews, saying he’d like to return, but didn’t know if the Bears reciprocated. “That’s if the feeling is mutual,” he told Alex Shapiro of NBC Sports. “I think it would be hard to say that the feeling is mutual at this time just based on how stuff played out.”

Spotrac has Foreman’s market value at $3 million per season