Bears Feel They Opened with Strong Offer

As the Bears approach the franchise tag deadline on March 5 there is no deal yet for cornerback Jaylon Johnson.

However, GM Ryan Poles believes he still hopes he won't need to use the tag.

"I'd like to avoid the franchis3 tag for him," Poles told reporters at the NFL scouting combine. "I think there's a really good space for us to find a middle ground.

"Again, we always have the tag to use but I really would like to get something done long term."

His gut feeling right now is they can reach an agreement.

"I feel really good about that situation," Poles said.

In the offseason process last week, the overall salary cap climbed by about $30 million so if the non-exclusive franchise tag is used it will be for $19.8 million and not the $18.8 million reported earlier in the offseason.

The transition tag for cornerbacks is $17.21 million.

Poles' optimism is based on what he calls a "strong," opening by the team in negotiations.

"In the process of getting Jaylon Johnson done, conversations ae going well at this time," Poles said. "We feel like we've done a really good job kind of coming to the table strong, showing the respect that he's due just in terms of his production through his craeer and really an emphasis on the turnovers he created this past year.

"Our expectation is that's going to continue to go on as long as he's with the Bears. When I say 'going strong' that means (cash figures) are strong, guarantees are strong for him. And with his age, there's a really good ability for him to go back to the market again with the Bears, continue to earn money and play well and, hopefully, that's for the Bears for a long period of time. So I'm excited about that."

Johnson has said he wants to be paid like the best cornerback in the league after he had four interceptions, 10 pass breakups and a 50.9 passer rating against when targeted. He was graded by Pro Football Focus as the No. 1 cornerback in 2023.

Poles had a standoff in talks with linebacker Roquan Smith in 2022 and it eventually led to a trade because they couldn't find "common gorund."

"Like I've said about those deals all the time, it takes two to tango and you've got to find a place that eveybody feels comfortable with," Poles said. "So I feel really good about that situation."

Twitter: BearDigest@BearsOnMaven