Bears insider explains why Chicago restructured Jaylon Johnson's contract

The Chicago Bears agreed to a restructured contract with star cornerback Jaylon Johnson this week, freeing up $8 million in salary-cap space. Naturally, Bears fans began to speculate whether this meant that general manager Ryan Poles had something up his sleeve.

A trade for a pass rusher? A running back?

According to noted Chicago Bears insider Brad Biggs, the answer is none of the above.

Instead, the decision to restructure Johnson's contract was about creating breathing room in the event the Bears are pressed into making an early or mid-season move.

Chicago Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson (1) — Peter van den Berg-Imagn Images

"Teams can’t go into the season pressed right up against the cap, and the Bears were close," Biggs wrote, via the Chicago Tribune. "They needed a buffer in order to execute transactions throughout the season, such as adding players to account for injured reserve moves, elevating players from the practice squad and practice squad signings."

Poles is being practical, of course. He isn't spending beyond his franchise's means. Instead, he's taking the necessary steps to make sure the Bears are ready to pounce if an opportunity to add a missing playoff piece presents itself before the trade deadline.

Until then, the Chicago Bears' roster appears to be set.

"Right now, I don’t expect any kind of addition to the roster that would take up a large portion of that newly created cap room," Biggs continued. "Remember, whatever remaining cap space the team has at the end of this season can be rolled into the 2026 cap."

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