Darnell Wright, Bears Reportedly Agree to Historic New Contract with Record Guaranteed Money

Darnell Wright is reportedly the newly highest-paid right tackle in NFL history.

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler and Ian Rapoport reported Tuesday the Chicago Bears and Wright agreed to a four-year, $116 million extension with $93 million in guarantees. It is the most guaranteed money for an offensive lineman in league history.

The future in Chicago revolves around Caleb Williams living up to expectations under center, and protecting the No. 1 pick of the 2024 NFL draft is an ideal way to make sure that happens.

Wright is a key piece for the offensive line that is tasked with doing just that on a weekly basis, and he will remain there for the foreseeable future following this deal.

The Bears selected Wright with the No. 10 overall pick of the 2023 NFL draft, and he wasted little time establishing himself by starting all 17 games as a rookie. He then started 16 games in each of his second and third seasons and took a leap as one of the league's best offensive lineman in 2025.

Wright was recognized as an All-Pro Second Team selection for a Bears team that won the NFC North and reached the NFC Divisional Round of the playoffs.

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A strong offensive line that also featured Joe Thuney, Jonah Jackson and Drew Dalman was a welcome change in the Windy City after years of lackluster groups blocking for Justin Fields and then Williams during the latter's rookie season.

Offensive-minded head coach Ben Johnson also helped the offense go from last in the league in total yards in 2024 to sixth in 2025. Working with Johnson helped Williams make a second-year leap, but so did having a solid offensive line in front of him to allow plays to develop and receivers to get open.

Wright was a major part of that and earned an overall player grade of 81.4 from Pro Football Reference.

At just 24 years old and with a new contract now in place, he figures to remain a major part of Chicago's Super Bowl efforts during the coming seasons.