Chicago Bears All-Pro right tackle Darnell Wright had the best year of his career, and while it came at the perfect time for the team, it also came at the perfect time for him.
Wright is now finished with his third NFL season, which is typically when the player and team start talking contract. While Wright obviously wants to be set up with a fair deal that will support his family's long-term stability, he also mentioned that he wants to stay in Chicago.
“I would love to be on this team for my whole career, for sure," Wright said via 670 The Score's Chris Emma. "That would be great.”
Will the Chicago Bears extend Darnell Wright this offseason?
It is not surprising that he wants to stay in Chicago, considering they drafted him with the 10th overall pick. They were the ones who bet on him and gave him his first chance. They were the ones who watched him develop.
Now that he had his breakout year, he wants them to stay there. The question will come down to the money, though. When you look at the right tackle market, the Wright contract will be very telling about just how much of a hometown discount he took.
Zach Tom is 27 years old, and his average annual value (AAV) is $22 million. Penei Sewell is 26 years old, with an AAV of $28 million, while Tristan Wirfs is 27, with an AAV of $ 28.12 million. While Wirfs now plays left tackle, these are the highest-paid players who were or are on the right side.
There is a much larger gap between Sewell and Tom than between Wirfs and Sewell. Wright will only be 25 years old. He is a former top ten pick, and he had an excellent year. There is almost no doubt that he will exceed Tom, but the question is by how much.
On the Bears' side, they will point to multiple All-Pros for Sewell and say that he should come in right underneath that, bridging the gap from Sewell to Tom. Wright is going to say that the cap is higher now than when Sewell signed, and his percentage of the cap at a higher cap rate is less than what Sewell signed at. He will argue that his age, production, and draft pedigree may warrant setting a new bar.
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Where Wright lands between the Detroit Lions right tackle and the Green Bay Packers right tackle will surely end up being a fun news day in the NFC North.