The Bears revitalized the career of CB Nahshon Wright and now he’s looking to do the same for one of the worst NFL franchises
Former Chicago Bears cornerback Nahshon Wright had a career year during the 2025 season, turning it into a lucrative contract with the New York Jets.
The Chicago Bears has multiple unsung heroes throughout the 2025-26 season that helped pave the way for the success the team had, but the most surprising player was easily cornerback Nahshon Wright.
The Bears originally signed Wright to a one-year deal worth just $1.1 million to be a depth option at the cornerback position. By training camp, Wright looked like a natural in Dennis Allen’s scheme after reuniting with DBs coach Al Harris and with Jaylon Johnson sidelined, Wright earned a starting position for himself.
Wright went on to have a highly successful season for the Bears leading the NFL in total takeaways while being named as a Pro Bowl alternate. It was a phenomenal return on investment for the Bears and a season that completely revitalized his career.
Wright intended to remain in Chicago on a new deal, but the team had other plans. So, Wright walked in free agency and signed with the New York Jets on a one-year deal worth up to $5.5 million. In New York, Wright looks to build off a career season for a team that desperately needs a play-maker on defense.
Former Bears CB Nahshon Wright aims to help the Jets rebound from 2025 disappointments
Last season, the Jets hired a former Detroit Lions coordinator of their own in Aaron Glenn but failed to have the season the Bears did with Ben Johnson. As a defensive-minded head coach, the overall results were disappointing in Glenn’s first season and he needed to make some major changes if he wanted to retain his position.
The addition of Wright was one of his underrated offseason moves. The Jets recorded zero interceptions during the 2025-26 and added a player on the outside that’s coming off a five interception season with 11 pass deflections. But, Wright isn’t focused on what the Jets did, or didn’t do, last season.
“I honestly don’t think it’s been brought up at all,” Wright said. “I think 2025 was 2025 and I think we’re trying to turn over a new leaf, so we haven’t spoken about it at all. Yeah, I mean, obviously I know about it. I mean, I’m on social media, so I’ve seen it, but try not to pay it any mind.”
After trading away star cornerback Sauce Gardner, the Jets were deprived of talent in the secondary. They’re banking on Wright to help fix that issue and hoping his 2025-26 season wasn’t a one-off but a sign of things to come in his resurgent career bring over everything he learned during his lone year in Chicago.
“I think just being on the field, and I think what being on the field brings in terms of confidence. And then, obviously, when you make plays, it kind of helps with that as well,” Wright explained. “So, I think of just being on the field and then obviously the coach is trusting in me. And having a knack for the ball, being confident enough to get my eyes back to the ball, and then the preparation, being able to go into the week and see what [other] teams like to do, and type of concepts they run and be able to anticipate certain things.”
Even if the Bears opted to go a different direction with Wright, fans should still be supporting him from afar as he looks to help get a struggling franchise back on the right track. I certainly will be rooting for Wright in 2026.