Bear Digest

2025 NFL free agency: Jaycee Horn deal highlights value of Jaylon Johnson's contract

Last offseason, after a contentious negotiation that included allowing the star cornerback to seek a trade, the Chicago Bears and Jaylon Johnson reached an extension that now looks like a steal.
Pete Martuneac|
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Just before the free agency frenzy kicked off this week, Carolina Panthers cornerback Jaycee Horn signed a 4-year contract extension for $100 million, with additional earnings that could net him up to $108 million. A whopping $70 million of his contract is guaranteed, making his deal the highest ever paid to a cornerback.

If you're a little surprised by this deal, you're not alone. Horn is a very good cornerback, but since he was drafted 8th overall in 2021, he has missed 31 out of 68 games due to various injuries. Over the last 23 games, he's pulled in just one interception, and he finished 2024 with just a 64.5 grade from Pro Football Focus.

Poles kept an elite talent in Chicago on a friendly deal

Meanwhile, Jaylon Johnson of the Chicago Bears is a two-time Pro Bowler, hauled in six interceptions over the last two seasons, and has graded near the top of all cornerbacks in each of the last two seasons, and he's doing all that on a deal that pays less than $20 million a year.
Granted, Johnson has had his own injury issues, but nothing as major as Horn.

Having one of the league's best cornerbacks on such a team-friendly deal is a huge positive for the Chicago Bears. Not only is he not the highest-paid cornerback in the NFL, Johnson doesn't even rank in the top six.

And as we roll into the 2025 season and beyond, the value of this deal will only get better. Take a bow, Ryan Poles.

Jaylon Johnson
David Banks-Imagn Images

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Pete Martuneac
PETE MARTUNEAC

A former Marine and Purdue Boilermaker, Pete has been covering the Chicago Bears since 2022 as a senior contributor on BearsTalk. He lives with his wife, two kids and loyal dog.

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