The Chicago Bears have spent much of this offseason focused on revamping their defensive backfield, a trend that continued this week when the NFC North Division champions signed a former Green Bay Packers safety to the roster.
Insider Jordan Schultz reported via X on Wednesday night, May 20 that safety Anthony Johnson Jr. is headed to the Windy City ahead of training camp this summer.
“Sources: The #Bears are signing former Packers and [New York] Giants safety Anthony Johnson Jr.,” Schultz wrote. “A former 7th-round pick, Johnson has 29 career tackles and an INT, but missed last season due to an injury. He’s now healthy and ready to go.”
Anthony Johnson Jr. Had Promising Year With Packers in 2023, Fell to Special Teams Role With Giants
GettyFormer Green Bay Packers safety Anthony Johnson Jr.
The Packers selected Johnson out of Iowa State with the No. 242 overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft.
He played in 12 games for the Packers in 2023, earning four starts. Johnson tallied 24 tackles, three passes breakups and an interception for Green Bay that season.
However, the Packers drafted safety Evan Williams out of Oregon the following spring after inking former Giants safety Xavier McKinney to a $67 million deal in free agency. Those moves ultimately contributed to Green Bay’s decision to waive Johnson in late August 2024.
New York claimed Johnson off waivers and played him in nine of 17 regular-season contests in 2024. While with the Giants, Johnson was mostly a special teams player. He saw 113 snaps in that phase of the game, while lining up for just 21 snaps on defense.
Johnson missed all of the 2025 campaign with an injury, as Schultz noted in his report. The Giants cut the safety loose just ahead of free agency on March 10, and he remained a free agent until joining Chicago on Wednesday night.
Schultz did not report any contract details, though the greatest likelihood is that Johnson inked a one-year contract at, or near, the league minimum. He will turn 27 years old in early December.
Packers Face Major Concerns at Cornerback in 2026
GettyGreen Bay Packers cornerback Carrington Valentine.
Willams and McKinney remain among the best safety tandems in the league heading into next season, though the Packers have real questions at the cornerback position.
Both Keisean Nixon and Carrington Valentine are entering contract years, and it is unclear if the latter will make it all the way through the summer and earn a spot on the 53-man roster after starting 30 of 49 games across his first three seasons in the NFL.
Green Bay drafted cornerback Brandon Cisse with the No. 52 overall pick in Round 2 last month, which was the team’s first selection of the class after trading its first-rounder to the Dallas Cowboys as part of the Micah Parsons‘ deal.
“This was the Packers’ greatest need,” Rob Demovsky of ESPN wrote. “If there is a position where a rookie could start from Day 1, it’s cornerback. But it has to be the right cornerback. They needed an outside corner with size, length and speed, and Cisse fits all three.”
The Packers also added rookie cornerback Domani Jackson in Round 6 and veteran Benjamin St-Juste in free agency, both of whom could challenge for snaps and ultimately push Valentine out.
Former Packers Defensive Back Joins Bears in Free Agency: Report