National Football League

Matthews has spare room for Harvin, Forte

Updated Oct. 20, 2022 11:04 a.m. ET

foxsports

GREEN BAY, Wis. — Percy Harvin wants a trade from the Vikings, Matt Forte is unhappy with his contract with the Bears. Leave it to Packers star linebacker Clay Matthews to come up with a solution: Join the Packers!

Matthews took to his Twitter account Wednesday afternoon to unofficially invite the two NFC North division rivals to be his roommates in Green Bay.

"Hey @Percy_Harvin, @MattForte22... Got a spare room w/ a bunkbed if interested?? #roomies," Matthews tweeted.

Harvin reportedly expressed his desire to be dealt from Minnesota this week, telling reporters he "just overall hasn't been really happy." Harvin, the Vikings' leading receiver in 2011 who is still just 24 years old, is unlikely to be given the trade he wants. Minnesota general manager Rick Spielman said Wednesday that the team has "no interest at all in trading Percy Harvin."

Forte, the Bears' star running back who has been in a contract dispute all offseason, already has two 1,000-plus-yard seasons with Chicago. Though his best year came as a rookie in 2008 with 1,238 rushing yards, Forte has never produced fewer than 929 yards on the ground in any of his four NFL seasons. At age 26, Forte should still have plenty left in the tank, even with the rapid rate at which NFL running backs go from stardom to broken down backup.

With the Packers plenty stacked at wide receiver — perhaps too stacked — Harvin is an unlikely fit in Green Bay. Forte, on the other hand, could be just what the Packers need. Currently, Green Bay is planning to go into the season featuring James Starks at running back, but he has been injury-prone and has gained only 679 rushing yards in his two-year career so far.

Though Matthews' tweet was almost certainly meant in jest — trading stars within the division is taboo in the NFL — the 2010 runner-up for Defensive Player of the Year probably just gave Packers fans something interesting to talk about over the next five weeks prior to training camp.

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