Reactions in the press: Tommie Harris deal

The best takes on Harris's record deal with the Bears:

...Harris’ well-deserved contract extension provides a well-timed breath of fresh air that should carry into training camp in late July. Unlike teammate Brian Urlacher, Harris never considered holding out of training-camp activities due to contract concerns and even passively acknowledged the strong possibility that he could have been franchised down the road. - Pro Football Weekly

...Harris, 25, will hit free agency again at the age of 29. If he can avoid recurring knee injuries, Harris should get three huge contracts, including his rookie deal. It's also a good move for the Bears, who are locking up arguably the league's best "three technique" defensive tackle. - Rotoworld

Locking up Hester well beyond 2009, when his rookie contract expires, is paramount. The Bears have ongoing discussions with agent Eugene Parker, but nothing is imminent. It's a complicated matter. There never has been a returner like Hester, and his skills as a receiver remain unknown.

Hester, who has scored more touchdowns over the last two seasons than anyone else on the team, probably would like to work off the six-year, $42 million contract that Rosenhaus got for Bernard Berrian with the Minnesota Vikings.
- Brad Biggs, Chicago Sun-Times

Five years ago this month, Urlacher stood in the same room Harris did Friday and signed a similarly lucrative contract promising generational wealth of which most people only dream. Like Harris, Urlacher had just turned 25 and already had made three Pro Bowls.

Urlacher probably still has a few more Pro Bowls left to make and still deserves the relatively modest new contract he has lobbied for since last winter. But it's time, symbolically, to remove the crown that always fit a little awkwardly atop his helmet and let Harris wear it.

Harris was born to lead, a natural, national emblem for a Bears organization that wants to represent all that Harris stands for on and off the field. - David Haugh, Chicago Tribune