On Monday, the NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that the Chicago Bears were picking up the fifth-year option on starting right tackle Darnell Wright.
Wright is the first-ever first-round draft pick of general manager Ryan Poles, and I would imagine the Bears plan to work out a contract extension for their 24-year-old 2nd Team All-Pro.
As the tenth overall pick of the 2023 draft, Wright is now set to make a projected $19.072 million guaranteed for 2027, which would be the final year of his rookie
contract. His projected salary is based on playing time as an offensive lineman, but had he been named to a Pro Bowl, it would have been over $4 million higher.
Over three years, Wright has missed only two games, and he’s started all 49 games he’s appeared in, including both playoff games last seaosn.
The deadline to exercise the fifth-year option for the 2023 draft class is May 1, and there are several players still awaiting word from their respective clubs.
