Out of all the performances from the 2025 season, none were more surprising than that of cornerback Nahshon Wright for the Chicago Bears.
Wright ended up leading the NFL in turnovers with 10 (five interceptions, two forced fumbles, and three fumble recoveries), earning his first-ever Pro Bowl selection after being known as a career backup. He truly became the ball hawk corner the Bears were hoping to have when Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon went down with injuries, but all that good time has come to an end as he signed with the New York Jets on a one-year, $5.5 million contract during the offseason.
Right when Wright was walking out the doors of Halas Hall, Chief NFL spokesperson Brian McCarthy shared the top 25 players a part of the Performance-Based Pay program, which is "a collectively bargained benefit that compensates all players based upon their playing time and salary levels." Wright topped the list, earning $1.4 million for his 2025 performance with the Bears.
Nahshon Wright collects a nice payday before departing Chicago
Last season, Wright added 80 tackles, 11 pass deflections, three tackles for loss, one quarterback hit, and one touchdown in 17 games. He also allowed a 61.2% completion percentage for 813 yards and six touchdowns.
While last season saw some inconsistency from Wright, he came up big when the Bears needed him most, making critical turnovers and important plays. He made huge strides from the guy who bounced around between the Minnesota Vikings and Dallas Cowboys over the years.
Now the two sides are separated as Wright is in New York, and the Bears are rolling with Tyrique Stevenson at CB2. Stevenson has years of experience, so it isn't the end of the world, but Wright was the turnover machine the Bears needed throughout the season.
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The Bears are moving forward with their guys, and while they are grateful for what Wright did in 2025, he collected his money and is now being rewarded for it. Chicago has to move forward and hope it can replace 10 turnovers.