When training camp began, reporters asked right tackle Darnell Wright if he had any concerns about getting a contract extension done with the Chicago Bears. After all, this is the final year of his rookie deal. The team had already picked up his 5th-year options, but most players prefer getting something done before that. Some even decide to conduct holdouts or hold-ins to make sure their demands are clear. Not Wright. He showed up for camp ready to work from the start and told the media that he has no concerns about talks. From his point of view, he plans to be in Chicago for a long time.
In hindsight, he probably knew something was imminent. Mere days later, news broke. The two sides have reached an agreement. Wright gets a new 4-year deal worth $116 million with $93 million guaranteed. This now makes him the highest-paid right tackle in the league, beating out Tristan Wirfs, and the second-highest-paid offensive lineman over at $29 million per year. That $93 million guaranteed also blows the rest of the market away. Before that, the highest was $67 million for Andrew Thomas in New York.
No doubt this deal makes a lot of other young tackles in the league very happy.
The Darnell Wright pick might be Ryan Poles’ masterstroke.
People must go back and examine how all of that came to be. Thanks to a stroke of good fortune from Houston, the Bears landed the #1 pick in the 2023 draft. Rather than take a gamble on a quarterback, the young general manager chose the bold move of trading the selection. He flipped it to the Carolina Panthers for the #9 pick, wide receiver D.J. Moore, and a host of extra draft picks, including a future 1st rounder. Then when Chicago went on the clock, he worked out a deal with Philadelphia, who wanted defensive tackle Jalen Carter, to swap spots. The Bears got an extra 4th round pick out of the deal.
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Poles then did what he’d always planned, selecting Darnell Wright 10th overall.
It was considered a risky move at the time. Wright wasn’t seen as a top 10 prospect in that draft. Most had him ranked in the late teens or early 20s. Poles didn’t see it that way. Wright’s unique blend of size, power, and mobility wasn’t appreciated enough. He was the top-rated pass protector in the SEC. With the right coaching, the Bears saw a potential star. Three years later, Wright claimed second-team All-Pro honors while helping the team win the division for the first time in seven years.
This extension for Wright sends a perfect message.
Chicago has stated from the beginning of Poles’ tenure that they want to build through the draft. That means selecting a talent, developing them into a top player, and rewarding them with an extension. The Bears haven’t had many chances to do that yet as they’ve worked to rebuild the roster. This massive payday for Wright is an unmistakable signal to everybody else on the team.
If you give us everything you have and show up on Sundays, we’ll reward you.
The primary motivations of every player come in two forms: winning and money. Both are often intertwined with each other. If players help the team win, they get their money. Or at least that is how it’s supposed to work. The Bears wanted to make their stance crystal clear. They could’ve played this out, tried haggling Wright down to fewer guarantees.
Nope. It was a message. If you push this organization to success, it will try like hell to ensure you stick around for years to come. For all the talk about the McCaskeys being cheap, this serves as another reminder that they don’t mind opening the checkbook when it’s warranted.
