The Chicago Bears have some notable contract questions to answer in the coming months. It likely starts with Jaquan Brisker. The safety is such a big part of their defense, but he's been hounded by injury issues since being drafted. This season is his last under contract. If he can stay healthy, he may get the extension he craves. Darnell Wright is another name that hasn't been mentioned yet, but probably will be in the coming months. The former 1st round pick enters his third season with the team. That is usually when organizations start thinking about extension. GM Ryan Poles has a habit of striking early, hoping to stay ahead of the market.
That leads to the obvious question. How much will it cost to get the job done? Wright has been the Bears' best offensive lineman since he was drafted. Considering how uncertain left tackle is for them, locking him down for the future is only logical. Now we may have gotten a hint as to what it will take. Brett Kollman revealed an important metric that revealed how good Wright has been. It came right after the Tampa Bay Buccaneers extended their own right tackle, Luke Goedeke, at $22.5 million per year.
It appears that is the ballpark the Bears will shoot for.
Darnell Wright would crack the top five for highest-paid at that number.
Right now, Goedeke is the fourth-highest-paid right tackle in the NFL. We will presume Wright gets $23 million per year, which would put him in that spot. He'd be behind Philadelphia Eagles legend Lane Johnson ($25 million per year), which feels appropriate. Of course, Darnell Wright still has to prove it on the field. He has a new coaching staff running the show. Their standards are significantly higher than the previous one. Wright has dealt with pre-snap issues in training camp. He'll have to get those cleaned up if he wants to earn their trust. This isn't the time to relax. Don't forget the Bears drafted Ozzy Trapilo in the 2nd round. He was a great right tackle at Boston College. They may decide to keep their money if they sense that Wright isn't playing his best football.
