Darnell Wright’s path to a record-breaking contract could force the Bears into one of their toughest contract decisions
The Chicago Bears are in the middle of a tough negotiation with former first-round right tackle Darnell Wright when it comes to ironing out the details of his second contract with the team.
No offseason storyline for the Chicago Bears should be bigger heading into training camp than the upcoming extension the front office is currently working on with second-team All Pro right tackle and former first-round pick Darnell Wright.
ESPN’s Courtney Cronin noted that the expectation is that Wright’s new deal will be finalized ahead of training camp, which is set to open in just a few weeks. The deal is also expected to be a massive one for the first draft pick under general manager Ryan Poles.
Given the expected price and the caliber of player Wright is set to become in Chicago, this will be a hefty deal. To explain both sides, I joined forces with A to Z Sports NFL expert Kyle Crabbs to run through the negotiations for both sides of the table.
Understanding what Darnell Wright is and can be for the Chicago Bears
Wright will eventually become the first draft pick selected by Poles that he will extend to a second contract once this deal is all said and done. General managers always take pride in that and those players hold a special place in their hearts.
Wright has a strong argument to earn a top-of-the-market deal, something Crabbs will break down later. For the Bears side of things though, Wright hasn’t consistently played to the elite level say Penei Sewell played at after his first three seasons. At the same time, head coach Ben Johnson went to bat for Wright’s team earlier this offseason when describing how integral Wright is to his offensive scheme plus how irreplaceable and unique he is as a player.
Wright can be a foundational pillar for this offense and the Bears need long-term foundational players up-front. Joe Thuney isn’t getting any younger and only under contract through 2027, which is also when Jonah Jackson’s deal runs out. The only long-term foundational players on Chicago’s offensive front signed through 2027 are left tackle Ozzy Trapilo (who’s rehabbing from a severe knee injury) and rookie center Logan Jones. Signing Wright now gives the Bears that long-term anchor to build around.
Darnell Wright’s case for wanting to be the highest-paid offensive lineman in NFL history
Wright’s continued ascension through the ranks of the NFL’s top offensive tackles has been a steady climb. He’s played nearly 3,400 snaps in his first three seasons in the league while cutting his pressures and sacks allowed rate consecutively from year to year. He finished tied for fourth in the NFL in pass blocking efficiency (PFF) in 2025 while blocking nearly 700 times.
He’ll be just 25 years of age this season, pushing him into just the start of his prime as a player, too. This is, regardless of right versus left tackle, a conversation that starts in the upper echelon of the offensive tackle market. Most of the top of market tackle deals were signed in 2023 and 2024, which leaves the top of the tackle market sorely due for an update. Tristan Wirfs currently holds the top AAV as a percentage of cap (11.01 percent from 2024) among tackle contracts, just besting out Penei Sewell (10.96 percent), and Andrew Thomas (10.45 percent). Wright has every reason to argue to land close to the top of that group — although the rising salary cap could limit the price.
Given that Wright still has his fifth-year option, we have two years to tuck additional compensation — which will allow the Bears to take the new money in stride a bit easier. We’d like to ask for 11.0 percent of this year’s $301.2 million salary cap as the annual average, which would equate to approximately $33 million per season. That gives some wiggle room to negotiate while still securing the top AAV figure (currently Laremy Tunsil’s $30.1 million per year).
Wright’s Proposal: four-year, $132 million
The case for the Chicago Bears to secure a team-friendly deal with Darnell Wright
The Bears are entering uncharted territory with this deal. Poles has negotiated large contracts in the past – such as a four-year, $76 million contract extension with cornerback Jaylon Johnson and a four-year, $110 million contract extension with wide receiver DJ Moore – but those were deals with established players playing in their peak. Wright’s deal is a different story and is expected to cost a whole lot more. But, the contract structure should remain similar.
Wright is coming off the best season of his career but it’s still a projection to say that Wright will be just as elite as Sewell because we only saw it for one year. Which is why the Bears would ideally want to protect themselves in case Wright were to hit his ceiling earlier than expected.
That would mean this proposed deal rewards Wright with a lot of guarantees early in the contract along with a large signing bonus, which would help make the future contract extension for quarterback Caleb Williams more manageable to stomach next year.
We’re not fighting back on a record-breaking deal in terms of APY. Poles hasn’t been against that in the past and that part will eventually age well anyways. Instead, Poles and Co. would rather be fighting over the guarantee structure to have more guaranteed money up-front, which would leave little guaranteed money and high cap hits the final years of the deal.
If Wright continues to ascend, the Bears could easily re-up on another extension at that point. If he doesn’t, the Bears wouldn’t be stuck with an inescapable contract.
Bears Proposal: $33 million APY is fine, but with $84 million fully guaranteed at signing and $92 million in total guarantees (no guaranteed money remaining in 2031).
Main Takeaway
The real main takeaway for the Bears is that they need to get this deal done as soon as possible. Internally, the deal has to be done this offseason before Williams inks a top market deal of his own next offseason, along with the other contract situations the team has to manage next offseason such as Cole Kmet, Jaylon Johnson, etc.
Externally, the Bears are in a race against another team that drafted a first-round tackle in the 2023 NFL Draft. Paris Johnson Jr. of the Arizona Cardinals, for example, is already making an argument that he deserves $40 million a year on his deal. Such a deal coming to fruition would absolutely nuke negotiations between the Bears and Wright.
With training camp on the horizon, the last thing the Bears need is a roadblock that could push this deal further down the pipeline. Wright’s earned the right to be the highest-paid offensive lineman on a per year basis, and frankly that deal will look like a bargain for Chicago once the market continues rising.