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Bears Sign Top Offensive Lineman to $116 Million Extension
0 Share Newsweek is a Trust Project member See more of our trusted coverage when you search. Prefer Newsweek on Google to see more of our trusted coverage when you search. With January's injury to impressive then-rookie left tackle Ozzy Trapilo, which will likely see the former second round pick miss the lion's share of this upcoming season, Chicago have their hands full trying to ensure that they retain consistency on what was otherwise one of the top offensive lines in football in 2025.
Indeed, Chicago's protection up front conceded the least sacks of any other unit in the NFL last season, something that no doubt contributed to quarterback Caleb Williams' ascendancy later on in the year.
And whilst uncertainty rules at left tackle and center, after Pro Bowler Drew Dalman surprisingly retired this offseason, the Bears have made a point to lock down their biggest star on the line: right tackle Darnell Wright, who has been signed to a four year, $116 million extension.
Darnell Wright is now the highest-paid right tackle in NFL history, and is the second-highest paid offensive tackle in the league behind only perennial Pro Bowler Laremy Tunsil, whose two-year, $60.2 million extension works out to just over $30 million per year – $1 million more than Wright per annum.
Wright's inclusion in the second-team All-Pro, an accolade that Tunsil has ironically never managed, came as the culmination of three excellent seasons in the league since being drafted with the 10th overall pick Tennessee.
For the remaining couple of years of Caleb Williams' rookie contract, these are the kind of extensions that the team can afford to make – and ones that head coach Ben Johnson hopes can propel them towards championship contention.
In the meantime, Chicago needs to make sure that Wright's opposite number Braxton Jones, and veteran free agent addition Garrett Bradbury, both cut the mustard.
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