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The Chicago Bears are not going to be moving on from cornerback Jaylon Johnson after all — at least not ahead of the 2023 NFL trade deadline.
According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Johnson is expected to remain in Chicago following Tuesday’s 4 p.m. ET league deadline after “a day of exploration” for the team on the trade market. The 24-year-old cornerback had requested a trade from the Bears on Tuesday after growing frustrated with the lack of progress in contract negotiations.
The Bears received calls about Johnson throughout the day. According to Bleacher Report’s Jordan Schultz, the Buffalo Bills made “an aggressive attempt” to trade for Johnson before ultimately acquiring Rasul Douglas from the Green Bay Packers. Brad Biggs of The Chicago Tribune added the Bears set a “high asking price” for him, though.
Instead, Johnson is back on track to play the remaining nine games of the 2023 season with the Bears before hitting unrestricted free agency next March. The Bears will now have a few extra months to attempt to bridge the gap in contract negotiations with their star cornerback, but CBS Sports’ Josina Anderson added Tuesday that Johnson “does not plan to engage” in extension talk for the remainder of the regular season.
Jaylon Johnson Has Been Borderline Elite in Coverage
Fans in Chicago were bracing for the departure of another defensive starter after watching the Bears trade both Roquan Smith and Robert Quinn at the 2022 deadline. Jaylon Johnson requesting a trade in the early hours of deadline day only added fuel to the speculative fire that his time in the Bears’ secondary could be coming to a close.
With no deal in place, though, the Bears will keep one of the best coverage cornerbacks in the NFL and buy themselves more time to work out a long-term extension.
Johnson is allowing an opposing passer rating of just 37.3 through the first eight games and owns the third-best coverage grade (85.8) among cornerbacks who have played at least 50 snaps this season, according to Pro Football Focus. He is also showing signs of becoming a more impactful playmaker in terms of generating takeaways, snagging a pair of interceptions just two weeks ago in the win over the Las Vegas Raiders.
The Bears clearly tried stacking the deck in their favor ahead of negotiations with Johnson, drafting second-round Kyler Gordon, second-round Tyrique Stevenson and fifth-round Terell Smith to their cornerback room over the past two years. A high-level coverage cornerback is difficult to find, though. If Johnson maintains his current level of play, Chicago may become more willing to cave to his price point in negotiations.
Bears Acquire Star DE Montez Sweat at Trade Deadline
The Bears did not move Johnson at the deadline, but they did ship away their 2024 second-round pick in exchange for Washington Commanders star defensive end Montez Sweat to provide a significant boost for their lackluster pass-rushing unit.
“Montez is a huge addition to our team,” Bears general manager Ryan Poles said Tuesday following the trade deadline, via the team’s official website. “He is not only a great player but a great person. We expect him to help elevate our defense.”
The Bears are getting a game-changer for their much-criticized defensive line. Sweat has started 67 games over the past five seasons and is already up to 6.5 sacks and 10 tackles for loss — second-most in the league — through the first eight games of 2023.
For those counting in Chicago, that’s the same number of sacks that Yannick Ngakoue (two), DeMarcus Walker (1.5), Justin Jones (one), Rasheem Green (one), Zacch Pickens (0.5) and Dominique Robinson (0.5) have produced for the Bears combined in 2023.
Now, the challenge becomes working out an extension to keep Sweat for the long term. Sweat will play out the remainder of the 2023 season on his fifth-year option, but he will become an unrestricted free agent in March if the Bears are unable to extend him.
