Why The Chicago Bears Need To Extend Darnell Wright Immediately

We’ve spent a lot of time talking about the tough roster decisions the Chicago Bears have to make as far as who they may need to trade, cut, or restructure. But that’s not all the Bears have to figure out.

While the Bears have most of their offense solidly under contract for this coming season, the bill is going to come due on a few players sooner rather than later. In a couple of years, you’re almost certainly going to see Caleb Williams signing an extension that would’ve made George Halas blush, for example.

In the more immediate, though, there’s one player the Bears need to prioritize and get signed as soon as possible: right tackle Darnell Wright.

The third-year tackle has begun blossoming into the player we knew he could be when the Bears took him 10th overall in 2023, earning second-team All-Pro honors this past season for his work. He graded out 12th among all tackles with an overall Pro Football Focus grade of 82.0, including being ninth overall in run-blocking grade (85.6), and ranked fourth overall in ESPN’s pass-block win rate stat among OTs.

His stellar play has been a boon for a Bears offensive line that looked hapless in 2024. It also means Chicago has to get moving on an extension for him sooner rather than later.

As Wright is heading into his fourth season, the clock for picking up his fifth-year option is quickly running out. Teams will have until May 1st to pick up those options, and Wright’s will be hefty, given how much he’s played for the Bears so far. Spoctrac estimates Wright’s fifth-year option would be about $20.3 million for 2027 if Chicago were to exercise it.

That said, there’s no reason the Bears would want to wait that long to lock Wright up. He’s proven himself plenty already, and is a building block the Bears want to have long-term. Locking him in at just over $20 million a year, which is nowhere near a top contract in the league, as the salary cap continues to boom would likely feel insulting for an All-Pro-caliber player.

Of course, the Bears could pick up the option and still extend him before the fifth season. But that poses another problem: if Wright, who’s now on everyone’s radar as a dominant force at his position, makes another All-Pro team, his price tag will get even higher. He might even want to surpass Penei Sewell’s $28 million a year—and have an argument for it, too.

The Bears can save some money, especially before having to drop the cash on Williams and other future players like Colston Loveland, while still giving Wright a contract worthy of his play (say, just above the Charles Cross/Christian Darrisaw range of $26 million) by getting this done early. Given how well he’s panned out, there’s no reason not to get it done as soon as possible.

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