The Bears have reportedly been hot to trot to try and land Panthers free agent DE Julius Peppers, and they have at the least landed a visit from Peppers, who will be in town Friday.

Defensive end Julius Peppers, the top agent on the market, has agreed to visit the Bears Friday, agent Carl Carey told the Tribune as free agency began Thursday night. No team was allowed to have contact with Peppers until the free-agent period officially began at 11:01 p.m., but Peppers had a strong interest in joining Brian Urlacher, Lance Briggs, and Tommie Harris on the Bears’ defense. The Bears were the first team to call Carey and extended a “substantial offer” that was good enough to get Peppers on the plane.

Peppers arrival could mean a shift in the Bears defense, as reports have been that Tommie Harris’ job could be at risk with the Bears spending so much on Peppers, who didn’t get the franchise tag again this year from the Panthers.