Just now, the Bears have signed this outstanding pro bowl running back, who is widely regarded as a top pick by all NFL teams.
March 7: Cornerback Jaylon Johnson signed a $76 million contract to continue in Chicago, two days after the Bears used the franchise tag to retain him, according to sources on Thursday.
Johnson, 24, would rank among the highest-paid players at the position if the deal becomes official. The deal is said to include $54.4 million guaranteed and would average $19 million annually.
With the 2024 franchise tag, Johnson would have received a $19.8 million salary guarantee for one season. However, general manager Ryan Poles stated during the NFL Scouting Combine that he thought the parties were very close to
reaching a long-term agreement.
“I believe there is a lot of room for us to strike a compromise. In Indianapolis, Poles stated, “Once more, we always have the tag to use, but I really would like to get something done long term.”
Johnson, a second-round selection in 2020, allowed a passer rating of 33.3 in more than 500 coverage snaps in 2023, making him the NFL’s highest-rated cornerback by Pro Football Focus.
There was some acrimony in the talks that started more than a year ago.
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Trades in similar circumstances resulted from Chicago’s history of not setting the market rate for a position even when it re-signed its own free agents. The Bears traded linebacker Roquan Smith to the Baltimore Ravens after he sought $20 million annually.
Since the trade deadline in October, when Poles allowed the lockdown cornerback to pursue a trade, Johnson and the Bears had not been on speaking terms. At the time, Johnson was hoping for a new agreement, but he claimed that ongoing negotiations were moving “slower than expected.”
Johnson stated, “At the end of the day, it goes back to respect as well,” following the expiration of the 2015 trade deadline. “You can fling numbers at someone and hope that something sticks. It’s not my intention to do that. I want to feel safe and respected.”
There are just two cornerbacks who make more money than the franchise tender rate on average: Denzel Ward of the Browns makes $20.1 million, and Jaire Alexander of the Packers makes $21 million.
