Fresh Darnell Wright Extension Rumor Would Be A Major Win For The Bears

Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles has some significant contract issues on the horizon. Most will point to quarterback Caleb Williams as the big one. The young quarterback appears to be ascending after a strong 2025 season. If that continues, he is looking at a massive extension as early as before the 2027 season. However, he isn’t the most pressing concern. Not yet anyway. That label falls to right tackle Darnell Wright. The big offensive lineman also had a terrific year and now enters the last one of his rookie deal.

Chicago does still have the fifth-year option, which would buy them time if necessary. That said, all indicators to this point suggest both sides would like to get an extension done soon. What isn’t known is when that will happen and how much it will ultimately cost. Insider Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune offered some details on that front. Based on his feel for the situation, any agreement is more likely to happen before the start of the regular season. As for money? Expect at least $25 million a year. Probably more.

“An extension before training camp begins is possible, but that might be a little early. If I were looking at a timeline for a potential deal, I’d probably target Week 1 and not late July. Sure, both sides would like to get a deal done, but these things take time and I have to imagine Wright is hunting a massive contract.

How big? My guess is Wright is aiming to be — at minimum — in the top three among NFL right tackles. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Tristan Wirfs is tops right now in annual average pay at $28.125 million, followed by the Detroit Lions’ Penei Sewell, who likely is moving to left tackle this year, at $28 million. The Philadelphia Eagles’ Lane Johnson, who is 36, is third right now at $25 million. So my hunch is a new deal for Wright starts north of $25 million per season.”

Darnell Wright has earned his money.

As 1st round picks go, he is easily the most successful the Bears have produced in a long time. You’d have to go back to Roquan Smith to find somebody taken that high in the draft by this team who lived up to his potential. Wright was second-team All-Pro last season, helping pave the way for the 3rd-ranked rushing attack in the NFL while also helping to allow just 24 sacks on Williams. He allowed just 16 true pass sets, or blocks where he was one-on-one without any help. It was a stellar year.

With how much uncertainty has surrounded the Bears’ offensive line in recent years, they finally seem to have a true anchor they can build around. The good news is Darnell Wright is represented by the Octagon sports agency. They have considerable experience negotiating contracts for top offensive linemen. Raiders left tackle Kolton Miller is among them. He just signed a three-year extension at $22 million per year last offseason. So they probably have a good idea of how to work with the Bears on Wright’s situation.

Getting Wright settled leaves the Bears with two other conundrums.

While the right tackle’s extension is only a matter of time, two other members of the 2023 draft class sit on the fence. Defensive tackle Gervon Dexter and cornerback Tyrique Stevenson sit in an awkward place. Both have shown considerable flashes as starters over the past few years. Neither has played at a consistently high enough level to warrant extensions. Dexter is the closer of the two. He had a career-best six sacks last season. If he can improve on that in 2026, his chances of sticking around are at least plausible.

Stevenson is the longer shot. He was benched during most of the second half of last season. Coaches felt he wasn’t reliable enough to trust with all the responsibilities of his position. Nahshon Wright’s departure in free agency was a temporary stroke of good fortune for him. He’ll have a real shot to reclaim his starting job in training camp. Maybe he finally puts it all together. Either way, their potential deals will have to wait until Wright has been taken care of.