Bears sign Cody Whitehair to 5-year extension worth reported $52.5M

Kirstie Chiappelli

Bears sign Cody Whitehair to 5-year extension worth reported $52.5M image

Cody Whitehair is staying in Chicago.

The Bears on Sunday announced they have signed the Pro Bowl offensive lineman to a five-year contract extension.

“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 general manager Ryan Pace said in a release. “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.”

According to ESPN, which cited unidentified sources, the deal is worth $52.5 million and includes $27.5 million in guaranteed money, which is the second-largest guarantee for a guard extension in NFL history.

Whitehair is the latest Chicago offensive lineman to earn a new deal after right tackle Bobby Massie signed a four-year extension in January and left tackle Charles Leno restructured his contract earlier this month. The latest move puts all three under contract through 2020.

A second-round pick of the Bears in 2016, Whitehair made the switch to guard this offseason after starting all 48 games of his NFL career at center.

Kirstie Chiappelli