The Chicago Bears and right tackle Darnell Wright have agreed on a new 4-year, $116 million deal to lock down the talented offensive lineman for head coach Ben Johnson's offense.
Chicago Bears right tackle Darnell Wright isn't going anywhere for the foreseeable future.
According to Ian Rapoport and Jeremy Fowler, the Bears and Wright have agreed to terms on a 4-year, $116 million deal with $93 million guaranteed to make him one of the highest-paid offensive tackles in the NFL.
Wright told reporters last Friday that he wanted to remain with the Bears for his entire career. He also mentioned that he would let his agency, Octagon Football, take care of his contract, while he focused his attention to his play on the field.
"I mean, I kind of, the reason you have representation is because you let those guys go in, and they handle some of those things for you," Wright said. "So, you know, my job is to play football handle that part of it. Their job is to talk, and so you know, I'm just trying to handle my piece, and those things take care of themselves."
With Wright making $29 million per year, he now leads his position group among right tackles. Philadelphia's Lane Johnson earns $25 million per year, and recently extended Minnesota Vikings right tackle Brian O'Neill is slotted at $24 million. According to Overthecap, the only offensive tackle in the NFL that earns more than Wright is Commanders' left tackle Laremy Tunsil ($30,100,000).
Wright is coming off his best season in the NFL. The 6-foot-5, 325-pound right tackle allowed only 19 total pressure, three sacks and finished with a 85.6 run-blocking grade, according to Pro Football Focus.
The timing of Wright's extension matches up with recent signings that general manager Ryan Poles has executed. Poles and tight end Cole Kmet agreed to an extension on July 26, 2023. Nearly a year later, wide receiver DJ Moore signed his new deal on July 30, 2024.
When Poles spoke before the start of training camp, he said there was a window to get a deal done, but "at some point we have to go play football." With the deal reportedly finalized, Wright can just focus on football.
Something that Poles mentioned he wanted to see from the talented offensive tackle is more "consistency" in Wright's game, highlighting that "the flashes and the stacks of plays that he puts together" are impressive, but "can be consistent day in and day out?"
Now that the Bears have their right tackle locked down for the next four seasons, quarterback Caleb Williams has a consistent and reliable player that he can count on while he continues to learn the nuances of head coach Ben Johnson's offense.
Wright expressed his desire to remain a part of the Chicago Bears' organization, and now the former No. 10 overall pick in 2023 will get exactly what he wanted with his new lucrative contract.
