ORLANDO, Fla. — Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson basked in not only the sunshine of Camping World Stadium on Saturday, but the Pro Bowl recognition that brought him here and the second-team All-Pro status that put him among elite players in the NFL and also trigged one particular perk that will resonate on the second floor of Halas Hall — his price went up.
“Hell, yeah,” Johnson said prior to practice for the Pro Bowl Games. “Before, I didn’t have All-Pro and Pro Bowl to my name. So definitely the price went up.”
Johnson, who turns 25 in April, doesn’t quite hold all the cards — not with the franchise tag still there for Bears general manager Ryan Poles. But his hand is stronger than ever. He’s coming off the best season of his four-year career — four interceptions, including a pick-6 and the No. 1 ranking among all NFL cornerbacks, by Pro Football Focus. He bet on himself last season and won.
Now it’s time for Johnson to collect his winnings. But the higher price tag might complicate matters. Poles splurged on defensive end Montez Sweat (four years, $98 million) and paid the going rate for tight end Cole Kmet (four years, $50 million). Johnson’s case is as strong or stronger. He’s done his part.
“No doubt — and that’s all I can do,” Johnson said. “They asked me to come in and lead — I led. They asked me to get interceptions — I got interceptions. They asked me for Pro Bowl and [league-wide] accolades — I got those. I’ve checked every box.”
Poles was emphatic in his end-of-season press conference that Johnson would be with the Bears in 2024. “Jaylon’s not going to go anywhere,” Poles said, “and we’ll work through it to get something done.” But Johnson knows that money talks …
“It’s definitely good to hear,” Johnson said. “But you show how much you care about somebody by the way you take care of them. I’m waiting for that point. So it definitely feels good. We’ve been on the same page. We’ve been communicating. But at a certain point it only goes so far. We’ll definitely see where I stand in the organization sometime soon.”
Poles still has the franchise tag in his pocket. But at this point, that might not solve the problem. Johnson doesn’t sound too keen on being on a prove-it deal again.
“I don’t think there’s anything I haven’t done since I walked into the building,” Johnson said. “I’ve been a guy that everybody loves to be around; everybody has nothing but good things to say. On the field, off the field — Walter Payton Man of the Year nominee — there’s plenty of boxes I’ve checked. At this point, I don’t think there’s too much to continue to prove. It’s just waiting for my time and what’s for me will be for me.”
So it remains to be seen whether Johnson will play with the franchise tag — or even participate in the offseason program without a long-term contract.
“Honestly, I don’t have a plan or a strategy right now,” Johnson said. “I’ll see when the time comes, what I’m going to do; what I’m able to do; what’s coming up in my off-the-field life. I don’t have a true plan except for that. But we’ll see as time goes on.”
However it plays out, Johnson seems intent on a hard-line approach, and it’s hard to blame him. The Bears drafted him and developed him. He’s part of a secondary and a defense that could be among the best in the NFL next season. But it doesn’t sound like there will be any home-team discounts offered.
“[The state of the defense] impacts me wanting to stay with the team,” Johnson said. “It impacts me as far as wanting to continue to build on the locker room that I feel like I’ve been building, with a lot of other veterans that have been here as long as I’ve been here or longer.
“From that standpoint, I want to continue to be in that locker room. But from a business standpoint, I don’t think that goes into accepting [less than] what I feel I’m worth.”
February 04, 2024 at 03:04AM
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Bears' Jaylon Johnson ready to play some hard ball - Chicago Sun-Times
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