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The Chicago Bears have some good news going into their season finale against the Detroit Lions with the No. 2 seed on the line.
The Chicago Bears flipped their offensive line from one of the worst in the NFL to one of the best in just one offseason, and now the team has gotten even more good news with regards to its front five.
Right tackle Darnell Wright is a homegrown star, entering the league as the No. 10 overall pick of Chicago in 2023 and developing into a second-team All-Pro this season. Wright has one year remaining on his rookie contract and is eligible for an extension this spring, which the team is likely to offer.
However, as a former first-round pick, the Bears own a fifth-year team option on the deal that will allow them to lock Wright in at a relative discount for the 2027 campaign before a big-money extension kicks in the following year.
Harrison Graham of “Chicago Bears Now” reported a projection figure for Wright’s fifth-year option, which equates to great news for the franchise when looking at his annual average salary over the next couple of seasons and comparing it to the level of play he is producing on the field.
“Darnell Wright’s 5th-year option is expected to be around $20.3 million if exercised for the 2027 season,” Graham wrote on Thursday, February 12. “That’s great news for the Bears, because Chicago essentially as an All-Pro tackle on a 2-year, $27 million contract for the next 2 seasons. Also, if Ryan Poles extends Wright, he can lock in an ascending player for reasonable cap hits if spread out properly.”
Bears Have Added Several Talented Offensive Players at Value
GettyChicago Bears right tackle Darnell Wright.
Wright’s value over the next couple of years is just one example in a long line of them that have put the Bears on track for a viable championship window over the next three seasons, give or take.
Caleb Williams showed flashes of a ceiling that is as high as any quarterback in the NFL if he can continue developing under head coach Ben Johnson, particularly in terms of consistency.
Williams is already capable of making throws, and other special plays that involve his legs and his instinct, that few in the league can match. If he can stop making a few mistakes every game that career backups can easily avoid, Williams has a chance to become truly special.
Meanwhile, tight end Colston Loveland and slot receiver Luther Burden III are both entering their second seasons and, like Williams and wideout Rome Odunze, they remain on rookie contracts for multiple years out into the future.
Johnson and Poles were also able to wrangle offensive guard Joe Thuney from the Kansas City Chiefs for the low price of just a fourth-round draft pick last offseason. Thuney went on win the league’s inaugural Protector of the Year award as the NFL’s top offensive lineman.
Rookie running back Kyle Monangai, a seventh-round pick in 2025, also had a breakout season, helping the Bears win the NFC North Division and a playoff game in January.
Bears Need to Spend on Pass-Rusher This Offseason
GettyDefensive end Trey Hendrickson of the Cincinnati Bengals.
Chicago no longer has the luxury of picking early in the draft and the team’s salary cap space situation, which was among the best in the league heading into the last two offseasons, is more spread out now with the addition of talent across multiple positions.
That said, the Bears have plenty of operating room to improve the edge-rush and the interior of the defensive line in the months ahead. Among the team’s top priorities is acquiring a pass-rusher to start opposite Montez Sweat.
Trey Hendrickson is a free agent in March, while Maxx Crosby has voiced his displeasure with the Las Vegas Raiders and may be looking for a trade in the months to come.
Max Dible covers the NFL, NBA and MLB for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, Chicago Bears and Cleveland Browns. He covered local and statewide news as a reporter for West Hawaii Today and served as news director for BigIslandNow.com and Pacific Media Group’s family of Big Island radio stations before joining Heavy. More about Max Dible
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