Getty Jaylon Johnson of the Chicago Bears reacts after an interception.
The Chicago Bears and Jaylon Johnson have reached an agreement on a new contract that will keep the star cornerback with the franchise for years to come.
Jordan Schultz of Bleacher Report broke the news and posted details of the deal to X on Thursday, March 7.
BREAKING: Jaylon Johnson deal is DONE, sources tell @BleacherReport.
4 for 76M, 54.4 guaranteed. One of the best young players in football is secured in Chicago long-term.
“BREAKING: Jaylon Johnson deal is DONE, sources tell @BleacherReport,” Schultz wrote. “4 [years] for $76 [million], $54.4 [million] guaranteed. One of the best young players in football is secured in Chicago long-term.”
Schultz followed up his initial report with more information on Johnson’s contract.
“More details on Jaylon Johnson’s deal, sources tell @BleacherReport: $43.8 [million] fully gtd at signing,” Schultz wrote online. “57.5% fully gtd percentage is 1st among CBs. $28 [million] first-year cash is 2nd amongst cornerbacks.”
Jaylon Johnson Now One of NFL’s Top-Paid Cornerbacks
GettyCornerback Jaylon Johnson of the Chicago Bears.
The contract replaces the franchise tag that the Bears applied to Johnson two days prior. The tag was worth $19.8 million for the 2024 season, after which he would have become a free agent.
General manager Ryan Poles said just days before the team used the tag to keep Johnson off the free-agent market that his goal was to do a long-term deal.
“I’d like to avoid the franchise tag for him,” Poles told media members on February 27, per Larry Mayer of Bears.com. “I think there is really good space for us to find the middle ground.”
Eventually the team and the player were able to find that middle ground after Johnson stated publicly on multiple occasions that he wanted to be the highest-paid cornerback in football.
His contract fell short of that, as it pays him $19 million per season and Green Bay Packers defensive back Jaire Alexander makes $21 million per year. Johnson’s deal also came in well short of the most lucrative in terms of total value, as Cleveland Browns cornerback Denzel Ward is playing on a contract worth $100.5 million over five seasons.
Still, the Bears are now paying Johnson like one of the best cornerbacks in football, according to Over the Cap. The amount of guaranteed cash is often more important than the total value of a contract, and the Bears stepped up to the plate in that regard.
Jaylon Johnson Was Arguably Best CB in NFL Across 2023 Season
GettyCornerback Jaylon Johnson of the Chicago Bears.
The payday is one Johnson deserves based on how he played last season when he was arguably the best defensive back in all of football.
Firstly, Johnson tallied 10 pass breakups, 4 interceptions and a defensive TD in 2023, helping him earn a spot in the Pro Bowl and second-team All-Pro honors, both of which were firsts in his four-year career. Johnson, who turns 25 years old in April, allowed a collective completion percentage of just 55.2% and a collective passer rating of 50.9 over 58 targets across 14 games played, per Pro Football Reference.
Pro Football Focus rated Johnson as the NFL’s top cornerback in football last season based on the website’s proprietary advanced metrics. According to PFF, Johnson surrendered 25 catches on 50 targets over 530 coverage snaps last season and allowed opposing QBs a collective passer rating of 33.3.