Matthew Garrett Forte is a former American football running back who played ten seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Tulane and was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the second round of the 2008 NFL Draft. Forte established himself as a dual-threat running back who is capable of earning yards as a rusher and receiver. He spent eight years with the Bears before playing for the New York Jets for two seasons.

Forte played NCAA Division I college football at Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana, a member of Conference USA. He lettered for four years and played for three while pursuing a degree in finance. As a freshman, he had 624 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns to go along with 20 receptions for 180 yards and two receiving touchdowns. As a sophomore, he had 655 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns to go along with 23 receptions for 163 yards and one receiving touchdown. His junior year was cut short when he suffered an injury in the game against Marshall University. He finished his junior season with 859 rushing yards and eight rushing touchdowns to go along with 28 receptions for 360 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns. His standout season was his senior year, coming off a knee injury, Forte set several Tulane school records, including rushing for 2,127 yards and 23 touchdowns. He had five 200+ yard rushing games, two 300+ yard games, and three games with at least four rushing touchdowns during the 2007 season. Forte was the only BCS non-AQ conference athlete to be a semifinalist for both the Maxwell and Doak Walker Awards and to make the Walter Camp Player of the Year List, and one of just 3 players nationally to be named to all three lists.

Forte garnered the most attention at the 2008 Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama, and walked away with the Overall MVP award. He led with 59 yards rushing on 8 carries; 4 receptions for 38 yards and a tackle on special teams.

The Chicago Bears drafted Forte in the second round of the 2008 NFL Draft as the 44th overall selection, the 6th of 23 running backs. He was originally drafted to compete with Cedric Benson for the team's starting running back position. However, Benson was released from the Bears after legal complications, and Forte out-competed Adrian Peterson and second-year running back Garrett Wolfe and started all 16 games. In the regular season debut on September 7, 2008 against Indianapolis, he carried the ball 23 times for 123 yards (setting a franchise record for most debut rushing yards) and scored his first career touchdown on a 50-yard run en route to a 29-13 victory over the Colts. His efforts earned him Sunday Night Football’s “Horse Trailer Player of the Game” award.

On March 9, 2016, Forte signed a three-year, $12 million contract with the New York Jets. In his Jets debut during their season opening loss against the Cincinnati Bengals, Forte had 22 carries for 96 rushing yards and five catches for 59 receiving yards in the 23–22 loss. The following week, he finished a 37–31 victory over the Buffalo Bills with 30 carries for 100 yards and tied a career-high with three rushing touchdowns. On October 23, 2016, Forte carried the ball 30 times for 100 yards and a touchdown while also making four receptions for 54 receiving yards and caught his first touchdown reception of the season in a win over the Baltimore Ravens. He was placed on injured reserve on December 30, 2016 with a knee injury. The 5-11 Jets frequently fell behind early in games, and Forte split rushing duties with Bilal Powell. He finished his first season as a Jet with a career-low 813 rushing yards with seven touchdowns to go along with 30 receptions for 263 yards and one touchdown.

Forte had a career-low 152 yards from scrimmage in his first three games before a toe injury sidelined him for two weeks, allowing Bilal Powell to emerge as a legitimate replacement. He did not have a game with 10 rushing attempts until Week 9, when he scored his first two touchdowns of the season against the Buffalo Bills. He was placed on injured reserve on December 30, 2017 after battling a knee injury for most of the season. On Christmas Eve, against the Los Angeles Chargers, he had 19 rushing yards and seven receiving yards in what would be his final professional game. Overall, he finished the 2017 season with 381 rushing yards, two rushing touchdowns, 37 receptions, 293 receiving yards, and one receiving touchdown.

On February 28, 2018, Forte announced his retirement from the NFL after 10 seasons. The Chicago Bears honored both Forte and former teammate Devin Hester on April 23, 2018 during a press conference at Halas Hall. The two players signed ceremonial one-day contracts to retire as members of the Bears. Bears chairman George McCaskey praised Forte's legacy with the Bears, lauding the former running back as "a superior athlete and frequently the best player on the field — among the best in a long line of great Bears running backs."

Forte married Danielle Daniels in August 2011. The couple has two children, Nala (born in 2013) and Matthew (born in 2015). Forte and his family resided in Mettawa, Illinois during his tenure with the Bears.

Forte earned a degree in Finance from Tulane University in May 2009.

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