Bear Digest

Bears' Nahshon Wright Earns Another Award for Breakout Season

After signing a minimum contract, Nahshon Wright earned himself a massive pay day.
Pete Martuneac|
Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

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Chicago Bears

Few NFL players had themselves a better year in 2025 than Nahshon Wright. The former third-round pick signed a one-year, $1.1 million contract with the Chicago Bears back in April, just one day after the Vikings cut him from their roster. Wright was never supposed to be anything more than a depth piece in Chicago's secondary, with some possible special teams duties on the side.

However, two major injuries to Chicago's starting cornerbacks forced Wright into action early. It was an unexpected opportunity for the veteran, and he took complete advantage of it. Wright's breakout 2025 season saw him lead the league in takeaways (five interceptions and three fumble recoveries) and become a Pro Bowler for the first time in his career.

In addition to all of that, Wright now has one more honor he can add to his growing resume, and this one is coming straight from the greatest football player of all time, Tom Brady. As part of his annual LFG awards series, Brady added a new one for 2025: the Best Value Player. Separate from the Most Valuable Player, this award is presented to the player who brought his team the most bang for their buck, and Brady didn't hesitate to name Nashon Wright as the winner.

You can't beat Pro Bowl-caliber services on a practice squad contract

Wright is the only correct answer for this award, and I don't think that even the biggest Bears hater could argue that. As aforementioned, Wright was a practice squad castoff from the Vikings before he signed what was essentially a veteran minimum contract with the Bears. As it turns out, all he needed was an opportunity to show what he can do in the NFL, as he went on to take the ball away eight times en route to being added to the NFC roster for the Pro Bowl games.

Nahshon Wright has earned the kind of contract that Chicago can't afford

One unintended consequence of Wright's breakout season is that he's most likely priced himself out of Chicago. The Bears already have significant capital wrapped up in their secondary, and they have some big contract decisions to make elsewhere on the roster. According to Spotrac, Wright's value on the open market will be $16.7 million per year on average.

This leaves the Bears with little choice but to thank Wright for the big role he played in a memorable season, one that included a miraculous Wild Card win over the Packers, and wish him luck with his next team. As long as his next team isn't the Packers, Vikings, or Lions, that is.

Nahshon Wrigh
Peter Casey-Imagn Images

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Pete Martuneac
PETE MARTUNEAC

A former Marine and Purdue Boilermaker, Pete has been covering the Chicago Bears since 2022 as a senior contributor on BearsTalk. He lives with his wife, two kids and loyal dog.

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