Last season, Nahshon Wright emerged out of nowhere with the Chicago Bears.
Signed to the league minimum, entering the 2025 season, he was just trying to establish himself as more than just a special teamer, and it’s safe to say he accomplished just that.
Wright’s 2025 campaign earned Pro Bowl honors while he led all cornerbacks with five interceptions.
This offseason, he signed with the New York Jets on a one-year contract with just $3.5 million guaranteed.
Despite making the Pro Bowl last season, Wright feels that he isn’t done proving himself.
“It just seemed like the right situation, to come here and be able to prove myself again,” Wright told the media regarding his decision to sign with the Jets.
In 17 games last season (16 starts), the 27-year-old logged 80 combo tackles (54 solo, 3 for loss) along with a quarterback hit, two forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries, and 11 pass deflections.
After making NFL history in 2025 by going the full season without posting an interception, Wright was seemingly brought in to add some elite ball-hawking ability to the team’s revamped secondary.
The biggest area where he will need to “prove” himself with Gang Green in 2026 is coverage.
While he did a great job making plays on the ball, evidenced by his five interceptions and 10 total turnovers last season, he struggled mightily in coverage.
While allowing 725 yards and seven touchdowns on throws in his direction, both ranked as the fifth-most among CBs last season. To boot, he and Washington’s Mike Sainristil were the league’s only two CBs in the league to allow over 700 yards and seven touchdowns in coverage.
Overall, Wright is a boom-or-bust type player, which only further proves that his contract was another Darren Mougey masterclass. While his upside is tremendous, his floor is also quite low.
Ultimately, a $3.5 million commitment is well worth it for the tantalizing ceiling that he holds.
