What Comes Next for Bears, Darnell Wright After Picking Up Fifth-Year Option

Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles caught a lot of flak from Bears fans on the first night of the 2023 NFL draft. Standout defensive tackle Jalen Carter was widely considered a Top 3 talent, but off-field issues ahead of the draft caused his draft stock to tumble. When the Bears were on the clock at No. 9, Carter was still available, and many Bears fans were hoping that Poles would add the dominant defensive tackle.

Instead, Poles traded back one spot with the Philadelphia Eagles, who promptly selected Carter. Many Bears fans were livid after this move, but those fans owe Poles an apology. The player Poles selected at No. 10, offensive tackle Darnell Wright, has become a cornerstone of Chicago's offensive line, and his All-Pro breakthrough in 2025 validated Poles' decision to draft him. To be clear, 2025 wasn't the first good year for Wright, but he finally started to get the recognition he deserves, and he will hopefully be considered a strong All-Pro candidate for years to come.

Now, in a long-expected move, the Bears have exercised the fifth-year option on Wright's contract, tying him to the team through the 2027 season. NFL insider Ian Rapoport was first to break the news on social media.

The #Bears are picking up the fifth-year option for All-Pro OT Darnell Wright, source says. Locked in for the 2027 season. pic.twitter.com/M00QB9xQOo
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 20, 2026

Darnell Wright is next in line to reset the offensive tackle market

What the fifth-year option means for the Bears is that they get one more season of having one of the game's best right tackles at a reasonable cost. We don't have a solid number yet, but Wright's option should run the Bears about $20 million in 2027. As for Wright, having his fifth-year option picked up means a contract extension should be coming soon. But will it be enough to reset the market for his position?

The highest-paid right tackle in the NFL is Penei Sewell, who signed a four-year, $112 million contract extension with the Detroit Lions in 2024. Green Bay's Zac Tom more recently signed an impressive contract extension, a four-year, $88 million deal last offseason. Based on accolades, I would expect Wright's extension to fall between these two. Tom has no awards to date in the NFL, while Wright earned an All-Pro nod in 2025. Sewell, however, is a three-time All-Pro and four-time Pro Bowler.

However, market-setting contracts are made to be broken, and Sewell's is now two years old. The salary cap has exploded since then, growing from $255 million in 2024 to $301 million, nearly a 20% increase. Wright may not have the hardware to match Sewell, but his agent will likely point to Wright's success in 2025 as a sign of things to come.

The Bottom Line

General manager Ryan Poles has been playing this game on easy mode for the last few years. Without any superstars on massive contracts, juggling salary cap demands was a simple matter. That's about to change. The Bears are going to keep Wright, no question about it. The only question is how much it will cost the Bears.

Whatever the final number ends up being, Wright will have earned every penny of it. But Poles will need to be careful. If all goes according to plan, he'll have to negotiate the largest contract in franchise history with his quarterback next year. Poles has confirmed he's awaiting a green light to sign Caleb Williams to a massive contract extension, and he needs to be sure that he can pay whatever it takes to keep the Iceman in Chicago.

Darnell Wrigh — Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

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