Jaylon Johnson Gets New Deal
The Bears will not be taking the issue of a contract for Jaylon Johnson into the new league year.
The second-team All-Pro cornerback and the Bears reached agreement on a four-year contract, reported by NFL Network's Ian Rapoport at $76 million. The amount of guaranteed money for the deal was reported at $54.4 million.
It's the third-biggest Bears salary cap hit for the 2024 season trailing only Montez Sweat's $25.08 million and Tremaine Edmunds' $22.44 million.
"We’re extremely excited to be able to keep Jaylon here for the next four years,” said general manager Ryan Poles in a statement issued by the team. “He’s an integral part of our defense and his leadership will help our team continue to ascend."
Johnson had been given the franchise tag on Tuesday before the deadline but this will be void and they'll have their 2020 second-round draft pick under contract through 2027.
Johnson had said he wanted to be the highest-paid corrnerback in the league, but it sounded like rhetoric consdiering he went into last year with one interception. He made four last season, made the Pro Bowl for the first time and second-team All-Pro while recording a career-best passer rating against when targeted. He was graded the best cornerback in the NFL by Pro Football Focus.
Johnson has 41 career pass defenses besides his five interceptions. He has made 161 total tackles.
If the terms are correct, it makes Johnson seventh-highest paid cornerback at $19 million a year, just behind Dallas' Trevon Diggs ($19.4 million). He was actually drafted one spot ahead of Diggs.
It puts him one slot higher than Miami's Jalen Ramsey ($18.3 million).
Coming out of the combine, GM Ryan Poles had been optimistic about getting a contract done but when they hadn't finished it they put the franchise tag on him just in case. That would have actually paid him $19.8 million for this year, but then he would have been out of contract again next year.
The retention of Johnson lets the Bears head into free agency with a better idea of what they will have available to spend.
It also means they'll have a secondary with a well-tested veteran in it. It's important because they chose to cut 30-year-old safety Eddie Jackson for cap purposes.
The rest of the secondary is comprised of players who will still be in their first three seasons, unless the Bears are able to secure a veteran free agent safety.
The signing leaves veterans like wide receivers Darnell Mooney and Equanimeous St. Brown, defensive tackle Justin Jones, defensive ends Yannick Ngakoue and Rasheem Green and tight ends Robert Tonyan Jr. and Marcedes Lewis without deals heading into the start of free agent negotiations on Monday.
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