Getty Jaylon Johnson isn't ruling out the possibility of signing an extension before Week 1 of the 2023 season.
The door appears to still be open for the Chicago Bears to sign another one of their starters to a contract extension before the first week of the 2023 season.
Cornerback Jaylon Johnson was asked Monday about his representation’s ongoing contract extension talks with the Bears and whether there was any optimism on his part about the two sides reaching an agreement on a new deal before the Week 1 season opener against the Green Bay Packers at Soldier Field on Sunday, September 10.
With a smile, Johnson kept it simple: “We’ll see.”
“It’s not about my will, it’s about God’s will,” Johnson continued when asked further. “And whatever the timing is, whether it’s now or whether it’s in two weeks, two months, six months, whatever is for me will come, and I’m confident [and] have a whole lot of faith in that, so I’m not worried about it. I’m going out and playing my game. Like I said, I’m trying to get a lot of interceptions this year, so that’s what I’m focused on. The contract will come when it comes. And if it don’t, it don’t, or if it does, it does.”
Johnson is heading into the final season of his second-round rookie contract in 2023 and is due for a significant pay raise once it expires after spending the past two seasons as the team’s top cornerback. While the Bears have drafted three corners — including second-rounders Kyler Gordon and Tyrique Stevenson — in the past two years, the additions of new talent have not soured the relationship or seemed to dissuade the Bears from trying to tie him down on a long-term contract extension.
“I’d say the relationship’s good,” Bears general manager Ryan Poles said about Johnson toward the start of training camp in late July. “He’s out showing that he can perform at a high level and becoming the player that he wants to be and improve.”
Whether a deal gets done before the season — or at all — remains up in the air, though.
Bears Just Inked 1st Big Extension of Ryan Poles’ Tenure
A few months ago, it was not exactly clear how motivated general manager Ryan Poles was to retain players who had been brought in during Ryan Pace’s front-office regime. He had vocally expressed interest in keeping both All-Pro linebacker Roquan Smith and running back David Montgomery, but he traded one and let the other sign with a rival for a contract price (three years, $18 million) they certainly could have afforded.
Things changed when the Bears signed tight end Cole Kmet to a four-year, $50 million contract extension in late July, though. Now, veterans on expiring contracts — such as Johnson or wide receiver Darnell Mooney — have at least one example of a time when the Poles front office followed through on keeping a player that it did not directly draft.
In fairness, Kmet earned his new contract after hitting career numbers in receptions (50), receiving yards (544) and touchdown catches (seven) during the 2022 season, but Johnson and Mooney have both also made quality cases for their own new deals over the past three seasons of their careers. The Bears might prefer to wait and see if both players continue their development into their fourth seasons before committing any long-term money to them, but acting now could save them money later — if it fits.
What Does Jaylon Johnson’s Extension Market Look Like?
Pinning down an accurate projection for what Johnson can expect to make on his second NFL contract is a little tricky. He has been a great coverage cornerback for the Bears who has handled his responsibilities of shadowing No. 1 receivers nicely, but even he would admit that takeaways and splash plays are a big part missiong from the equation.
“The main thing for me is turnovers, creating turnovers,” Johnson said Monday. “I work on technique, I work on covering and doing all that. I don’t miss too many tackles, so there’s not too much that I absolutely need to get better at or charge, but I just need to impact the game and create more turnovers. That’s more my focus and that will go into my week-to-week, game film or preparation if I need to play a certain technique or if I need to play off man instead of press man one week, whatever it is.
“Just finding different, creative ways to put myself in positions to create turnovers.”
According to Spotrac’s calculated market value formula, Johnson is expected to earn about $7.7 million in average annual salary on his next deal with the projection being a three-year, $23.3 million deal that would keep him with his next team through 2026. Based on how the structure of Kmet’s deal, though, 247 Sports feels a more accurate contract projection is four year, $54 million with that frontloads Johnson’s earnings.
The Bears still have about $16.34 million in remaining 2023 cap space, and while some of that will be needed to complete their roster and pull together their practice squad, it could give them flexibility when it comes to extending a guy and paying more upfront. Ultimately, though, it will come down to whether the price is right for both sides.