Darnell Wright
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SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - JANUARY 25: Jaxon Smith-Njigba #11 of the Seattle Seahawks celebrates after defeating the Los Angeles Rams 31-27 in the NFC Championship game at Lumen Field on January 25, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. The Seahawks won 31-27. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
The Chicago Bears, according to Harrison Graham of Chat Sports, should copy the way in which the Seattle Seahawks handed star wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba a massive extension for right tackle Darnell Wright.
JSN, the reigning NFL Offensive Player of the Year and Super Bowl champion, reached an agreement with the Seahawks on March 23rd on a four-year, $168.6 million contract extension.
The deal averages $42.15 million per year and includes over $120 million in guaranteed money, which are both record-setting numbers at the wide receiver position.
But there’s more to the contract than meets the eye, and Graham believes the Bears should follow this approach when attempting to re-sign Wright.
Bears Urged to Copy Seahawks/Jaxon Smith-Njigba Extension With Darnell Wright
Graham explained the thought process behind copying the Seahawks’ method of extending JSN.
“But the raw numbers don’t tell the full story. The way Seattle did this is smart and what the Bears should do with Darnell Wright. …So, the first step they took was pick up the fifth-year option before the extension. So then you already had two years to work with before you give the four-year extension. So 2026 and 2027, he was already under contract. Then you give him the four-year extension and it gives you a six-year runway to space out the cap hit.”
The reason why this helps NFL teams is that it gives them the opportunity to space out the cap, as Graham mentioned. JSN only has a cap hit of around $10 million in 2026 and then around $16 million in 2027. That gives Seattle the leverage to hand out contracts to other players. And even when his cap starts to rise to around $50 million in 2030 and 2031, by then, the cap limit for NFL teams has skyrocketed up.
The best part is that if JSN doesn’t perform up to standard by the time his cap hit rises in 2030, the Seahawks could just cut him and save some money. This way of extending a star player should be the same method the Bears use when trying to extend Wright.
The Outline With Extending Wright
The biggest factor with Wright is that the longer Chicago waits, the more money it’ll cost them. There’s no doubt Wright wants to stay in Chicago either, saying, “I would love to be on this team for my whole career, for sure. That would be great.”
Graham went over the steps that the Bears should take to extend Wright:
Pick up fifth-year option (May 1st deadline) – Projected $19-21 million price point
Hand Wright extension (projected four-year, $112 million deal with $82 million guaranteed)
Space out the cap hit (lower hit on the beginning years of the contract)
This should be the No. 1 priority for general manager Ryan Poles right now. If they’re able to secure Wright on a similar deal to how the Seahawks secured JSN, that gives Chicago leverage to start to plan out extensions with other key players, including quarterback Caleb Williams.
Time flies, and Williams is now heading into the third year of his four-year rookie contract, so that’s definitely something that the Bears should (and likely have) considered when managing the cap situation.
Regardless, Wright has improved each season, and the Pro Bowler/2nd Team All-Pro should be extended sooner rather than later.