Right before training camp, Chicago Bears General Manager Ryan Poles put a bit of a deadline on contract discussions with second-team All-Pro right tackle Darnell Wright. Poles noted that he wants to get a deal done with the fourth-year player but knows that once the mindset shifts to football, the contract discussions have to be halted.Â
Wright responded with no concern. His thought is that a deal will get done and that he will be with the team for a long time.
Bears RT Darnell Wright doesn't seem concerned about his contract situation: "I know I'll be here for a long time. Hopefully my whole career."
— Kevin Fishbain (@kfishbain) July 31, 2026
Darnell Wright Expects to Finish His Career With Chicago Bears
So, while the two sides try to work things out before the season starts, it does not sound as if Wright is going to push things if a deal does not get done. He has been everything the team has wanted since they traded back one spot to draft him 10th overall.
He hit the ground running and started in the first week of his rookie season. He played in all 17 games as a rookie. He only missed one game in his second NFL season, and he took a big step. This started to earn him some name recognition.Â
However, the combination of him becoming a known commodity, his experience level increasing, and the Bears' improvement in coaching staff all hit at the right time for Wright. It led to him being a second-team All-Pro, a recognition for one of the best right tackles in the NFL.
So, Wright is going to be 25 years old; he has three seasons as a starter, and he is viewed as one of the best in the NFL. The question is only how much will he get?
This is a bit of a debate that gets tricky because Tristan Wirfs and Penei Sewell set the market at right tackle, but then shifted to left tackle. The Bears might not want to go to their levels.
However, Lane Johnson is the highest-paid player at right tackle right now. He is 36 years old, though. Wright is going to make more than that. Can they find a number more than Johnson at $25M per year, but less than Sewell at $28M per year?
Wright does not have a problem waiting this one out. If he stays healthy and puts in a strong year, the salary cap is going to go up, other players at his position are going to sign deals, and he is going to make more.Â
So, it should be the Bears who have a sense of urgency to get the deal done before the deadline that Poles laid out.
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