As expected, Cody Whitehair got his contract extension mere days before the start of the season. And it’s a long one: five years.
Pricey, too. The center-turned-guard will make $52.5 million, according to ESPN, with $27.5 million guaranteed. That would mark the second-largest extension a guard’s ever received.
“Cody embodies everything we look for in a Chicago Bear and I’m excited for us as an organization to extend him five more years,” Bears GM Ryan Pace said in a statement. “He is a great talent and unselfish teammate with a ton of pride in being a leader for us. It is always nice to reward our own and I know this will only drive Cody even more every day.”
Whitehair is just the latest Bears offensive lineman secured with a new contract. The Bears extended right tackle Bobby Massie this offseason and reworked a deal to guarantee Kyle Long’s return. Left tackle Charles Leno restructured his contract to free up cap space the Bears were able to use in the Whitehair extension.
A second-round pick out of Kansas State, Whitehair is entering his fourth season. He’s started every game of his NFL career, but was moved from center to left guard this offseason. Second-year center James Daniels will start to his right.
The Bears like to hand out their extensions just before the start of the season. Nose tackle Eddie Goldman got his last September, and Akiem Hicks in September 2017.
