Tommie Harris Would Like a Contract Too, Please

While the Chicago Tribune's David Haugh seems to be on a one-man crusade to get Brian Urlacher a new contract (Seriously, David, have you been promised a percentage?), we shouldn't forget that there are other members of the roster deserving of one as well. Obviously, it probably wouldn't be a bad thing for Devin Hester to get a contract extension seeing as he's the only scoring threat on the team. Then there's defensive tackle Tommie Harris, who may be more important to the defense than Brian Urlacher seeing as how constant double teams on Harris help keep blockers off Urlacher.

Harris and his agents, the Rosenhaus brothers, have been in talks with the Bears recently, and Tommie is somewhat optimistic a deal can be reached.

Harris was to dine with agents Drew and Jason Rosenhaus on Tuesday evening, and if the group determines the Bears' offer is close, a deal might materialize quickly.

Otherwise, negotiations could go the way they did for linebacker Lance Briggs two years ago. Rosenhaus arrived to close a deal, and the sides got close before negotiations broke off. Briggs wound up skipping the voluntary offseason program in 2006 and begrudgingly played with the franchise tag last year.

''I want a fair deal,'' said Harris, a three-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle. ''I'm not asking for anything ridiculous. [The franchise tag] is not even a figment of my imagination. We're in 2008, and I really don't go that far. I'm optimistic.''

A big reason why Harris would like to get a deal done now is because at the age of 25, signing a four-year deal now would mean he'd get another contract before the age of 30. In the NFL, where money isn't guaranteed, it's important to get as much as you can when you can. Still, if I were Tommie I don't think I'd be ignoring the fact that the Bears may slap the franchise tag on me.

When you look at the contracts teams have given to defensive tackles lately, the Raiders for instance gave Tommy Kelly $50.5 million over 7 years, and he only played in 7 games last season. He's a good player, but he's no Tommie Harris. Then there are the deals Shaun Rogers just got from the Browns (6 years, $42 million), and the one Cory Redding got from the Lions before last season (7 years, $49 million).

That's a lot of money being given to defensive tackles who I don't consider to be as good as Harris.

So when you consider how much it will probably cost to sign Harris to a long-term deal, and then consider that Tommie has had his share of injuries in his first few years as a Chicago Bear, it might make more sense to franchise Harris and see what happens.

The team currently has about $16 million in cap space, but the Bears are also believed to be talking to Hester, Urlacher, and even Robbie Gould about extensions as well. If Tommie's demands aren't ridiculous, then by all means, give him the deal. If he's looking for something like $55-$60 million with $25 to $30 million of it guaranteed, I'd say slap the franchise tag on him and make sure he can get through an entire season healthy.

Then, if he does that, give him anything he wants.