Tommie Harris Rejects Bears Offer

What the hell, Tommie!? Just yesterday you were saying how much you want a deal to get done, and then I even went and wrote an entire post for you saying you deserved it. My post was so convincing, that the Bears then turned right around and made you an offer. (That's the only logical explanation, right? Hi, Jerry Angelo!)

And you turned it down!

There were no fireworks when contract talks between Drew Rosenhaus and the Bears broke off Wednesday.

Just because they didn't reach a new deal for defensive tackle Tommie Harris doesn't mean it's not a possibility, as well as a priority for the Bears. It just might take some time. Extensions for players under contract are always a delicate issue.

The Bears are believed to have offered Harris more than the record-setting seven-year, $50.5 million contract Tommy Kelly received from the Oakland Raiders earlier this offseason. But how the money was structured in the offer is unknown, and Harris is justified in asking to be the highest-paid defensive tackle in the league. For now at least, he's expected to continue participating in the conditioning program that began Monday.

Okay, so it's not the end of the world or anything, because the odds Harris and the Bears will come to terms are still good, we just don't know when. Even though the details of the offer weren't released, I'm pretty sure it was bigger than Tommy Kelly's deal from the Raiders, and I'd be willing to bet that the guaranteed money is what caused Harris and Rosenhaus to reject the deal.

Of course, the Bears wouldn't be the Bears if they didn't try to squeeze every penny they can out of their players, so this isn't really a surprise. Like I said, this deal will still get done, and if it doesn't, they'll just franchise Tommie and go from there.