Bear Digest

The Cold Truth About Nahshon Wright's Pro Bowl Appointment and Bears

The secondary is perceived as a Bears strength and cornerback Nahshon Wright might have a hard time convincing anyone he's worth the investment despite his postseason honors.
Gene Chamberlain|
Bears cornerback Nahshon Wright throws the game ball into the crowd after teammate Kyler Gordon's pass defense on an incompletion ended a playoff victory over the Packers.
Bears cornerback Nahshon Wright throws the game ball into the crowd after teammate Kyler Gordon's pass defense on an incompletion ended a playoff victory over the Packers. | Dan Powers/USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images

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Chicago Bears

Nahshon Wright's incredible rise in 2025 received a just and proper conclusion with his inclusion in the Pro Bowl Games, although it may or may not lead to his career continuing with the Bears.

Wright becomes their fourth Pro Bowl Games participant this postseason after Eagles cornerback Quinyon Mitchell opted out due to an injury. Mitchell, himself, was an alternate.

It was Wright who made repeated timely big plays in 2025, although he also allowed six touchdown passes. He led the NFL in takeaways with five interceptions and three fumble recoveries. He also forced a pair, including the famed strip of Jalen Hurts on an Eagles tush push.

No cornerback in the NFL made more interceptions than Wright.

Four Pro Bowl players is the most for the Bears since the Pro Bowl after the 2018 season. Safety Kevin Byard, center Drew Dalman and guard Joe Thuney will join Wight in participating.

Whether this all benefits the Bears is uncertain at best. Anything adding tWright's resume could mean a bigger contract in free agency. He is slated to be an unrestricted free agent in March after the Bears had signed him basically as a Vikings castoff. He had been waived by Minnesota in 2024 after Dallas traded him there and spent the season on the Vikings practice squad. He got in for only 15 plays, all on special teams, anfor s first four seasons had only 269 total plays of defense before becoming starter this season.

His past experience with Bears DBs coach Al Harris helped him land in Chicago, and Jaylon Johnson's groin surgery gave him the chance to start from the outset. A pick-6 in the season opener quickly established Harris was more than a pickup off the waiver wire scrap heap.

Why Wright would leave

However, as an unrestricted free agent, Wright is being projected by Spotrac.com to be worth $16.673 millon per year on a new deal.

Such projections frequently are off, but this one would need to be incredibly wrong for Wright to be salary cap friendly to the Bears.

Overthecap.com has them at $17.4 million over the salary cap at the moment. They already have given big contracts to Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon, and need to find ways to pay All-Pro safety Kevin Byard and/or Jaquan Brisker.

So it's very likely Wright could wind up being one-and-done in Chicago, or that someone more well established on their roster is. Considering how much the Bears have invested time-wise in the other cornerbacks already here, Wright's departure can't necessarily be considered a bad thing, but simply a wondrous NFL tale of success for this season.

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.