It is good to be Nahshon Wright these days. The cornerback was an afterthought when the Minnesota Vikings cut him last year. He’d already been traded from Dallas after failing to carve out a role with the Cowboys as a 3rd round pick. It was then that the Chicago Bears came calling. They needed cornerback depth, and their new secondary coach was Al Harris, who’d coached Wright in Dallas. He didn’t know it yet, but this would set the stage for a career breakout nobody saw coming.
Injuries slammed the Bears secondary before training camp even began. Jaylon Johnson hurt his groin while training at home. Kyler Gordon’s nagging issues resurfaced as well. Before anybody knew it, Wright was in the starting lineup. Over the next four months, he collected 5 interceptions and 7 total turnovers, earning his first Pro Bowl selection. Now he’s set to get a significant raise as a free agent next month. However, from the way he spoke in an interview with SiriusXM NFL Radio, he’s really hoping to stay in Chicago.
Keep in mind, he was not prompted to say this.
Nahshon Wright faces a difficult situation.
Under normal circumstances, the Bears would likely work hard to keep him. There are just several factors that get in the way. For one, the team has already sunk a ton of money into the cornerback position. Johnson and Gordon both received lucrative extensions from the team over the past couple of years. Teams almost never pay three players at one position. It’s a bad allocation of resources. Then there is the fact that Wright, for all his success, was anything but a lockdown corner.
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| Metric | 2025 Regular Season Mark | League/Positional Context |
|---|---|---|
| Touchdowns Allowed | 7 | Tied-5th most among CBs |
| Passer Rating When Targeted | 86.8 | Top 25 for CBs with 800+ snaps |
| Interceptions | 5 | 1st among CBs (T-2nd overall) |
| Forced Fumbles | 2 | Tied-21st in the NFL |
He is what you’d call a feast-or-famine player. Either he was making a big play or the opponent was. That doesn’t mean he has no value. Ballhawk corners can be vital to the success of a defense. The problem is you must be willing to live with the reality that he isn’t someone who can smother top opposing receivers. That is why Chicago isn’t likely to give him an extension. At least not one he or his agent will be happy with. It would have to be team-friendly, and it’s a near certainty Nahshon Wright would get more on the open market.
At that point, it becomes about how much he can live with. Careers in the NFL don’t last long. Players seem duty-bound to get as much money as they can before their bodies can’t handle it anymore. As much as he’d like to stay, Nahshon Wright can’t afford to take a steep discount.
