Jaylon Johnson has put together one of the best contract years in recent memory. The fourth-year Bears cornerback has placed himself on the radar to become one of the top free agents in 2024, but the sentiment he expressed during this past offseason remains.
The former second-round pick wants to stay with the Bears. The difference from Johnson’s June stance to now: a second contract will be much costlier for the team. The 24-year-old corner has been one of the best cornerbacks in the game this season.
“I want to stay here,” Johnson said, via the Chicago Sun-Times’ Jason Lieser. “I definitely want to get something done [here] first, but if something doesn’t get done, I’m not opposed to any other options. I would love to stay here.
“Couldn’t see myself anywhere else. It’s easy to say you want out of somewhere until you get it and then it’s like, ‘Ah, this may not be quite what I want.’”
Since the Bears allowed Johnson to see if a viable trade offer emerged just before the deadline, he has continued to submit a top-flight CB season. Pro Football Focus slots Johnson as this season’s No. 1 cornerback, and Pro-Football-Reference’s coverage metrics indicate the Ryan Pace-era draftee has allowed a paltry 49.7 passer rating as the closest defender in coverage. That number is miles ahead of Johnson’s figures from 2020-22. Teams could conceivably be skeptical of Johnson sustaining this form, but he is well past a “prove it” deal.
Johnson, who has intercepted four passes in 2023, acknowledged he has “definitely added some money” this season. Following Johnson’s eventful deadline day, GM Ryan Poles said the team wants to retain the ascending perimeter corner. The team held out for a first- or second-round pick in exchange. The Bears have already signed off on a big-ticket extension for deadline-day acquisition Montez Sweat, and while Johnson once said it would be an issue if the team extended Sweat before him, that has not ultimately swayed his pro-Chicago stance.
The Bears have paid up for a cornerback’s strong contract year in the recent past. After the team declined Kyle Fuller‘s fifth-year option in 2017, Pace and Co. circled back and transition-tagged him a year later. The Packers submitted Fuller an offer sheet, and the Bears matched it. The Bears may be in position to unholster their franchise tag to keep Johnson, though no team has tagged a corner since the Rams cuffed Trumaine Johnson for a second time back in 2017. OverTheCap projects a 2024 CB tag will come in just north of $18MM. A transition tag is projected to cost more than $15MM, but the Bears would receive no compensation if they did not match an offer sheet. The franchise tag would effectively keep Johnson in Chicago, as teams would not be willing to fork over two first-round picks for an unmatched offer sheet.
Poles already took care of 2020 draftee Cole Kmet, and Darnell Mooney has not enjoyed a good contract year. With Kmet and Sweat signed, Johnson profiles as Chicago’s clear-cut top priority. Even after the Sweat re-up, the Bears are projected to hold the seventh-most cap space (more than $63MM) in 2024. But it will undoubtedly take a monster offer to keep the 6-foot defender off the market. It certainly sounds like Johnson would be amenable to re-signing before free agency, should Poles and Co. view him as a cornerstone piece.
“I feel like we’re building something special, too, especially the guys in the locker room,” Johnson said, via ESPN.com’s Courtney Cronin. “It’s something that I don’t think I can get anywhere else. I would like to stay in that and continue to build, make it better.”
ngl this team does seem to be building something special on defense, on the other hand the offense is a mess
I think they purposely focused on defense 1st, especially given the uncertainty of Fields. While I don’t think the defense is a finished product, I think the draft focus will be on QB and OL.
And just off the top of my head, I am guessing that Sweat is making Jaylon a better CB. Nothing like sustained pressure on the QB to make a CB a half-step better.
At least Poles didn’t waste the 2nd round pick this year. Sweat seems well worth the price. You weren’t even going to find a guy like that in the 1st round this year, Much less the 2nd. There are a lot of EDGE maybe’s this year.
I think if the Bears are serious about building a team thats a winner, then they need to forget about QB with that #1 overall pick- if it stands (especially since the media hyped Caleb Williams appears fairly pedestrian against good defenses and appears to be over emotional) and focus on best player, which many argue is actually MHJ, and get a bluechip LT with the other 1st round pick. I guess its possible they may find a trade partner if they can get a ton for him and still get a guy like MHJ maybe they do that, but Im not sold as everyone else on Williams. I say stick with Fields for this next season and keep using the picks to build an entire offense, or at least the O and D lines. I think the idea of falling for a QB every time you have that pick just gets you into trouble if you do not have a team around that QB. I get that the next drafted QB is technically cheaper, but that does little good for you if he sucks.. That is if you want to win.
Signing Jaylon might now cost $22M per over 4-5 years, but it’s worth it considering how a great corner can affect a game in a passing league.
Bears will be able to save another $24.4M by designating Whitehair & Eddie Jackson as post-June 1 cuts, giving them $88.2M in effective cap room for 2024. Certainly enough room for Jaylon, a premium FA Safety, and money for FA additions to both the D- & O-lines.
Things are looking up for the Bears!!
Poles is gonna pay him. He has to. I also think he’s gonna move on from Fields. That would open up even more long term cap space with a QB on a rookie deal.
He seems to change his mind a lot. First he stated he wasn’t looking to reset the CB market in his next contract. But then he asked for a top 3 CB deal.
Then he asked to be traded. Team couldn’t find any takers at his extension dollar request.
Then he is disrespected by the team for extending Sweat first. Now he’s ok with it.
Now he wants to extend and stay in Chicago. But he’s fine testing free agency.
He was always a fine cover corner. This year he’s done better with forcing turnovers. Top 5-8 CB contract- sure. Top 3-5- not sure he’s worth it.
The defense indeed is getting better with some nice additions. Once again the Bears inability to assess talent costs them money. It’s nice to see what the CB room actually looks like with a defense that attacks instead of sits on it’s hind legs and just gets pounded. Johnson, Gordon, Stevenson and Terrell Smith all look very good. I was out on Stevenson but that INT against Flacco was a thing of beauty. I need to see more but he does have potential. He better have since they passed up Schmitz to draft him. Someone they need desperately right now. Pony up for JJ and sign Danielle Hunter, Replace Jackson and fire Eberflus and you have a top defense next year. Draft offense, Use FA money on the D. That’s how I’d rock it.
With Stevenson, while I was dubious, I’m seeing the same progression as Gordon had last season. Im nt saying either of them are world beaters, but not looking bad at the moment.