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Where Does Tommie Harris Go Now?

The Chicago Bears faced a tough decision on Harris this offseason. As the "under tackle" in the Bears' defensive front, Harris played a vital role, and had shown the capacity to dominate. The question came down to the financial viability of Harris' contract, and it was thought that the team would possibly try to re-negotiate before the March 4 deadline.

Instead, the Bears avoided paying Harris' bonus and base salary in 2011 altogether by releasing him on Monday. For those thinking that perhaps he'd return to Chicago on a reduced salary, let's go ahead and erase that notion.

"My race was finished," said in response to whether the team asked him to take a pay cut, per Sean Jensen of the Chicago Sun-Times. "It was done with the Bears."

Harris confirmed to Jensen that other teams have already shown interest in acquiring him, and he has until midnight on March 4 (Friday) to sign a new deal. There has already been some logical speculation that the New Orleans Saints might make a good home, and he'd get to reunite with 2009 Bears D-line teammate Alex Brown. Other teams looking to bolster their defensive tackle rotation this offseason include the Denver Broncos, Indianapolis Colts, Minnesota Vikings, New York Giants, St. Louis Rams and Tennessee Titans.

Asked by a fellow Twitter user whether the Carolina Panthers would be interested in free agent defensive tackle Tommie Harris, beat writer Darin Gantt indicated that it's possible depending on the physical, and that new head coach Ron Rivera does have a history with Harris.

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