Entering the 2026 season, the Detroit Lions' offensive line faces uncertainty at multiple positions, except left tackle.
With the Lions cutting ties with Taylor Decker this offseason, left tackle became a position of need, but the team addressed it immediately by switching Penei Sewell to the spot. Sewell spent most of his first five seasons at right tackle and built a Hall of Fame resume there by earning three straight first-team All-Pro nods from 2023 to 2025.
Sewell is arguably the best offensive lineman in the sport. However, the Oregon product isn't getting paid like it, and Darnell Wright's extension from the Chicago Bears proves just how underpaid Sewell is.
Darnell Wright Deal Proves Penei Sewell's $112 Million Contract With the Lions is a Bargain
NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported Tuesday afternoon that Wright and the Bears have agreed on a four-year extension worth $116 million with $93 million guaranteed. The deal makes Wright the highest-paid right tackle in NFL history with an average annual value of $29 million.
Sewell previously held that title when he signed a four-year, $112 million deal with the Lions during the 2024 offseason, but his contract is now a bargain. Though Wright is one of the best young tackles in football, there isn't a planet where he is a better player than Sewell, who now rank as the fifth-highest-paid tackle in the league on an annual basis.
Obviously, Sewell's next contract will reset the market, and it'll be well-deserved. But for now, the Lions will be receiving elite-level play from the 25-year-old at a much cheaper rate than he deserves.
Sewell has already stamped his legacy as an all-time great right tackle, and now that he's on the left side protecting quarterback Jared Goff's blind side, his value is only going to increase. Expect Sewell to sign a record-breaking contract extension with Detroit at some point in the next few years, but as of now, the four-time Pro Bowler is one of the most underpaid players in the NFL.
