One of the Chicago Bears' top free agents entering the 2026 offseason is cornerback Nahshon Wright.
It was an out-of-nowhere kind of season for Wright, who became one of the top cornerbacks in the NFL. In 17 games, he racked up 80 tackles, 11 pass deflections, five interceptions, three tackles for loss, three fumble recoveries, two forced fumbles, one quarterback hit, and one pick-six.
The Bears free agent corner can also add Pro Bowl Games participant to his resume after replacing Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Quinyon Mitchell. With the accolades stacking up for Wright, Chicago is going to have some tough decisions to make in the offseason as he is going to be an expensive player to bring back.
Nahshon Wright's projected price tag might be out of Bears' range
There are two scenarios for the Bears on how they want to handle Wright during the offseason. They can either sign him to a multi-year deal or use the franchise tag on him.
If the Bears go down the route of giving him a multi-year deal, according to Spotrac, Wright is looking at an annual projected market value of $16.6 million. He would most likely want a three- or four-year contract so he can stay with a team long term while getting paid on time, as they are considering giving Wright a full contract value of about $50 million if he stays in Chicago.
Should the Bears want to go the franchise tag route, that might end up being an even more expensive decision to make. According to Over The Cap, projected franchise tags for cornerbacks in the 2026 offseason are $21.4 million.
This certainly leaves the Bears stuck between a rock and a hard place when deciding what to do. They have to save money for Kevin Byard, Jaquan Brisker, or both, so the secondary stays intact well. Chicago also wants to go big on a pass rusher and will need all the money it can get to pay for one.
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Bears general manager Ryan Poles certainly has some tough decisions to make regarding Wright, but it appears that if they want him back, a long-term deal makes more financial sense. Even that might put the Bears in a position they can't afford to be in as they pursue a Super Bowl in 2026.