Former Tennessee Vols offensive lineman Darnell Wright is about to have the best summer of his life.

And it’s going to be a big win for Tennessee, too.

Wright, a first round selection by the Chicago Bears in the 2023 NFL Draft, has been as advertised during his first three seasons in the NFL. The former Vol earned Second-Team All-Pro honors in 2025 while operating as the Bears’ starting right tackle. And as a result, Wright is in line to receive a big contract extension ahead of the 2026 season.

ESPN says the Bears want to extend Darnell Wright before training camp

ESPN’s Courtney Cronin says the Bears would like to get an extension worked out with Wright before training camp starts later this summer.

“The Bears would like to get an extension done with the 2023 first-rounder before training camp, which is typically when they’ve struck new deals in the past (Cole Kmet in 2023, DJ Moore in 2024),” noted Cronin. “Despite playing most of last season with a torn UCL, Wright put together the best season of his career and earned second-team All-Pro honors.”

This will obviously be huge for Wright on a personal level, but it’s also going to help Josh Heupel and the Vols.

You can’t win in the SEC without being elite in the trenches. And building a strong offensive line is as difficult as ever in the transfer portal.

Something else that’s difficult is convincing elite offensive tackles that they should play right tackle. The Vols lost a future NFL offensive lineman in Lance Heard this offseason in part because he didn’t want to move to right tackle (Tennessee is moving another future NFL offensive lineman, David Sanders, to left tackle this fall).

If Wright gets an extension this summer, it’ll give Heupel and his staff evidence that right tackles who come from Tennessee can get paid at the next level (Wright, by the way, was close to quitting football before playing for Heupel after starting his career under Jeremy Pruitt).

Recruiting — high school and the transfer portal — is as competitive as ever. Every little edge helps. And it sounds like Wright will be providing Tennessee with an important edge sometime this summer.