There will be a lot of tough decisions that Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles has to make this offseason, and one of those decisions involves cornerback Nahshon Wright, who’s slated to be a free agent.
Wright, 28, signed a one-year, $1.1 million deal last offseason and wasn’t seen as someone who would come in and rack up 80 total tackles, two forced fumbles, five interceptions, and 11 pass deflections.
In fact, he wasn’t even supposed to make the 53-man roster. Despite the odds, he proved his worth since stepping into Chicago and is now in line for a huge payday.
However, according to Bleacher Report’s Gary Davenport, Wright is a free agent “bust waiting to happen in 2026.”
BR Highlights Drawbacks to Signing Nahshon Wright During Free Agency
Davenport highlights that, despite Wright earning a raise, handing him over $15 million a year is “bad roster building.”
“Is it possible that Wright is a late bloomer and budding star? Yes, but it’s far more likely that his gaudy interception numbers were a one-year outlier. Opposing quarterbacks weren’t afraid of him. He was targeted 98 times in 2025 and allowed half a dozen touchdowns in coverage. He deserves a raise, but not a windfall.”
It’s a challenging situation because Wright started just three games over his first four seasons until his late-bloom with the Bears in 2025, which could prompt teams to hold back on having him on a projected three-year, $50 million deal.
Wright Wants to Be Back With the Bears
All of that could be a deterrent for NFL teams who are interested in signing Wright, but for the Bears, they know what they have with him.
“You watch him and how he’s matured over the course of the season, and you see him continuing to get better each and every week,” Bears defensive coordinator Dennis Allen said regarding Wright. “And as he’s gotten better, that confidence has started to build and I think when a player’s playing confident, they usually tend to play pretty well and end up making some plays.”
And Wright made his feelings clear on where he wants to play next season. “I definitely would love to be back in Chicago, but who knows. We’ll see.”
The problem isn’t with Wright, it’s the Bears. As of February 16th, they have negative $5.3 million in available cap space according to OvertheCap.com, and granted, they can make some cuts and restructures to create some cap room, but there are other moves that the team needs to prioritize.
- Re-signing either Kevin Byard or Jaquan Brisker (maybe both)
- Addressing the defensive line
- Extending All-Pro right tackle Darnell Wright
There’s still the 2026 NFL Draft to address the defensive line, but Wright likely won’t be the team’s priority, especially since the Bears have Jaylon Johnson, Kyler Gordon, Tyrique Stevenson, and Terell Smith coming back from injury.
Even the most sure-fire acquisitions in free agency don’t always work out, but it’ll be interesting to see what happens with Wright this offseason.
NFL Teams Given Warning on Signing Bears’ CB Nahshon Wright