Chicago Bears safety Chris Harris has been working out with former teammate Steve Smith of the Carolina Panthers during the lockout, and part of Harris' workout regimen has been as a recruiter.

Smith went to the home of Panthers owner Jerry Richardson late last season and asked to be traded, according to the Charlotte Observer. Harris, who played with Smith in Carolina for three seasons, thinks if the Bears could somehow acquire Smith, it would make sense.

"If the opportunity is there, why not?" Harris said Thursday on "The Waddle & Silvy Show" on ESPN 1000. "You can never have enough big-time playmakers on your team.

"We have plenty of those on our team now. It definitely wouldn't hurt to have another one."

Smith, 32, is scheduled to become a free agent in 2013. He had his worst full season last year since his '01 rookie campaign, but much of that can be attributed to the Panthers' ineffectiveness at quarterback as rookie Jimmy Clausen was thrown into the fire.

"I've been working out with Steve during this lockout. He's in great shape," Harris said. "He's looking just as good as he's been the previous years, so I'm trying to persuade him a little bit if things can go that way.

"But I think we have great receivers in the system that we have right now. They made that thing work last year in the first year [under offensive coordinator Mike Martz]. I figure in the second year they'll really flourish under that."