Bears Predicted to Franchise Tag Disgruntled Star After Breakout Year

Getty General manager Ryan Poles of the Chicago Bears.

The Chicago Bears defense is playing better than most in the NFL, which means keeping the young stars on that side of the football is of supreme importance if the franchise hopes to continue its climb.

Some of Chicago’s the talent in the front seven is locked in on rookie-scale contracts, while the team’s top linebackers and defensive end Montez Sweat have all recently agreed to lucrative multiyear deals. The odd man out at the moment is cornerback Jaylon Johnson, who requested a trade ahead of this year’s deadline and hasn’t been shy about his demands for a new contract.

Unfortunately for Johnson, the boisterous quality of his financial unhappiness isn’t likely to sway management, even despite the fact that Chicago is currently projected to have $63.4 million in salary cap space come 2024, per Spotrac.

Brad Spielberger of Pro Football Focus (PFF) on Wednesday, December 13, listed Johnson as the No. 9 free agent in next year’s class. However, he also predicted that Bears general manager Ryan Poles will use the franchise tag to keep the star cornerback in Chicago for at least another season.

“Johnson wasn’t quite able to have the third-year breakout in 2022 he hoped for as nagging injuries kept him off the field for several stretches, and he and the team were unable to find common ground on an early extension,” Spielberger wrote. “Johnson continued to push for a new deal right up to requesting a trade at the deadline this year, but after conversations with other teams, Chicago elected to keep him around. Now, with edge defender Montez Sweat extended and the franchise tag freed up, another negotiation looks to be on the horizon.”

Jaylon Johnson Arguably Best Cornerback in NFL this Season

GettyCornerback Jaylon Johnson of the Chicago Bears. 

Johnson’s play this during his fourth NFL campaign has been so stellar, however, he may have played himself into a strong enough negotiating position that the Bears will franchise tag him so as to both keep Johnson in-house and also retain financial flexibility to add to the roster via free agency.

“At this rate, Johnson’s stock is rising each week,” Spielberger continued. “The physical, technically sound wide cornerback boasts ball production and lockdown coverage abilities that prevent targets as well as anyone, never allowing a 60% completion rate in any NFL season thus far.”

Johnson is having a career year with 9 pass breakups, 4 interceptions and a collective opposing QB completion percentage of 54% on 50 targets, per Pro Football Reference. Quarterbacks have combined for a collective rating 0f 47.6 against Johnson across the 11 games he has started/played in 2023.

PFF currently ranks Johnson the best cornerback in all of football through 13 weeks with an overall player grade of 90.6.

Jaylon Johnson Will Earn Big Money in 2024 if Bears Tag Him

GettyCornerback Jaylon Johnson of the Chicago Bears.

All NFL players loathe the franchise tag because it stands in the way of a long-term contract that includes a significant amount of guaranteed money. That said, Johnson stands to make a boatload in 2024 either way.

Franchised players earn the average salary of the five highest-paid players at their position for one season. That math will put Johnson’s number in 2024 just north of $20 million, per Over The Cap.

The 24-year-old Johnson, a second-round pick of the Bears in 2020, is currently playing in the final season of his four-year, $6.5 million rookie deal. Spotrac projects his market value at $17.1 million per season over a new four-year contract.