Despite not being on the trade block, Jaylon Johnson‘s future with the Bears has been uncertain throughout 2023. The contract-year corner recently spoke about his situation, and revealed that more clarity on his fate in 2024 and beyond may be coming.

Johnson made it clear this offseason that he wanted to re-up with the Bears, but little progress has been made on contract talks. The 24-year-old changed agents in advance of the regular season, one in which he has maintained his starting role as part of a young Chicago CB contingent. Johnson had a career day in Week 7 with a pair of interceptions, including a pick-six. His ‘money counting’ touchdown celebration led to questions regarding whether or not it was a reference to his contract status, which he later answered emphatically in the affirmative.

Bears GM Ryan Poles has been willing to see the 2023 season play out in Johnson’s case, and the presence of recent draftees (Kyler Gordon, Tyrique Stevenson and Terell Smith) at the CB spot have threatened to make Johnson expendable. However, a recent report indicated Chicago is not interested in seeking out a trade partner for the Utah product. Johnson has nevertheless pondered about the possibility of being dealt ahead of the October 31 trade deadline, something which would become a moot point if extension talks produced an agreement. Slight progress appears to have been made on that front.

“Yeah, I mean, it’s a process, it’s a process,” Johnson said during an appearance on 670 The Score’s Parkins & Spiegel Show. “But things are, I would say, starting to hopefully, to ramp up. We’ll see kind of where things go, especially in this next week… Because I mean, to me, it’s different and just talking and really just, ‘OK, well, let’s try to figure something out, let’s try to figure something out’ versus things getting done. So I’m just looking forward to seeing what actually gets done.”

As his remarks demonstrate, nothing is imminent with respect to a deal being worked out. Still, the fact that the parties are discussing a deal with only one week remaining until the trade deadline confirms a desire exists on both sides to continue their relationship beyond 2023. Johnson has not only doubled his interception total for his career compared to where it stood before last week’s game, he has posted a personal best in completion percentage allowed (47.8%) through five games played. He could thus be a core player for the rebuilding Bears for years to come if an agreement can be reached on a multi-year pact.

Failing that, the franchise tag could come into play. The one-year tender would check in at a cost of roughly $19.5MM, and the team’s preference would no doubt be a long-term contract carrying a lower AAV than that. If talks with Johnson are indeed picking up, it will be interesting to see how much progress is made in the coming days as the Bears prepare for the trade deadline.

As the October 31 trade deadline draws nearer, the identity of buyers and sellers around the NFL should come further into focus. At 1-4, the Bears would presumably fall into the latter category, but that status would not include seeking a deal to ship out one of their starting corners.

Chicago is not currently shopping Jaylon Johnson, Adam Jahns of The Athletic writes (subscription required). The 24-year-old is in the final season of his rookie contract, and his status as a rental would no doubt be appealing to any number of teams looking to shore up their secondary. As Jahns adds, though, Johnson is still seeking a deal which will keep him in the Windy City beyond 2023.

The former second-rounder changed agents this summer in pursuit of an extension, but no new contract has materialized as of yet. That will likely continue through the remainder of the campaign, something which would leave him free to depart in March in the absence of a second Bears pact. How willing team and player are to enter into a continued relationship will be a key factor in informing Chicago’s next step in this situation.

Johnson has been a full-time starter in all four of his Bears campaigns, a stretch which has seen him record only one interception (though he has added 32 pass breakups and a trio of forced fumbles). The Utah alum has fared better in his past two seasons than the first two with respect to coverage statistics, and he has allowed a career-best opposing passer rating of 57.4 in 2023, albeit on only 11 targets across three contests. He would be a logical trade target for acquiring teams prepared to extend him on a market-level deal for 2024 and beyond.

The Bears have added three cornerbacks over the past two drafts (Kyler Gordon, Tyrique Stevenson and Terell Smith). The former two have operated as starters when healthy, and dealing away Johnson would give the team the option of moving Gordon from the slot back to the perimeter, where he started his career. On the other hand, a new Johnson pact would not require a market-resetting investment like the one the Ravens made in linebacker Roquan Smith after he was dealt away by Chicago midseason last year. Whether or not general manager Ryan Poles follows the same course of action with Johnson will be a key storyline to follow in the coming days and weeks.

Although the Bears are coming off a three-win season and changed regimes in 2022, members of their 2020 draft class may be on the extension radar. Cole Kmet and Darnell Mooney figure to warrant conversations about second Chicago contracts. Jaylon Johnson would like to join that conversation as well.

A starting cornerback throughout his Bears tenure, the former second-round pick said he is “100%” targeting a deal that will allow him to stay in the Windy City. Johnson, Kmet and Mooney each became eligible to sign an extension in January. Since none of the trio entered the NFL as first-rounders, with the Bears not having a 2020 first due to the Khalil Mack trade, the fifth-year option was not in Chicago’s equation this offseason.

Johnson, 24, said he plans to hire an agent to handle these talks soon, per the Chicago Tribune’s Brad Biggs, who adds the Utah product is not pushing for a new deal before training camp. (Mooney hired a new agent this offseason as well.) The Bears punted on a Roquan Smith extension last year, but the team’s Ryan Poles-led front office would not need to consider a top-market contract for any of its newly extension-eligible cogs.

Being charged with five touchdown passes allowed in each of his first two seasons, Johnson cut that number down to one last year. Then again, the Bears did not play with many leads during a 3-14 season, and Johnson was targeted just 51 times — down from 70-plus during the 2020 and ’21 seasons. Pro Football Focus viewed Johnson as a mid-pack cornerback last year, slotting him just outside the top 65 at the position. Pro-Football-Reference’s coverage metrics measured Johnson similarly, though those did credit the 6-foot defender with the lowest passer rating-against figure of his career (94.6).

The Bears do not have much in the way of long-term commitments on their books. They picked up the Panthers’ D.J. Moore contract via trade and signed Tremaine Edmunds and Nate Davis to big-ticket free agency deals. As far as homegrown players, Eddie Jackson represents the only notable defender extension on Chicago’s payroll. Cody Whitehair sits as the team’s lone in-house extension of note on offense. The Bears lead the NFL in cap space presently, with more than $32MM, and are projected to hold more than $96MM in 2024.

At corner, however, Chicago has used second-round picks on Kyler Gordon and Tyrique Stevenson, potentially opening the door to the team being patient regarding a Johnson payment. But the clock is ticking. While players like Justin Fields and Teven Jenkins figure to be on the Bears’ extension radar down the road, the team will need to decide on its 2020 draftees’ futures soon.