INDIANAPOLIS — The Bears have made an offer to cornerback Jaylon Johnson with the hopes of signing him to a contract extension before the deadline next week to give him the franchise tag.
‘‘Cash flows are strong, guarantees are strong,’’ general manager Ryan Poles said Tuesday at the NFL Scouting Combine. ‘‘The term is strong for him. With his age, there’s a really good opportunity for him to be back to the market again, continue to earn money and play well. And hopefully that’s with the Bears for a long period of time.’’
Johnson will turn 25 in April. A three-year deal, for example, would get him back on the free-agent market at 27 — still well within his prime.
The Bears have until next Tuesday to give Johnson the franchise tag, which is a one-year, $19.8 million contract that binds him to the team for the 2024 season. Even if the team tags Johnson, the sides can continue to negotiate an extension until mid-July.
Poles, however, said he rather would get a deal done now.
‘‘I’d like to avoid the franchise tag for him,’’ Poles said. ‘‘I think there’s really good space for us to find the middle ground. You always have the tag to use, but I’d really like to get something done long-term.’’
The Bears and Johnson have been negotiating a long-term deal for about a year, however, with little progress. Poles thought talks in Los Angeles before the Bears-Chargers game in October went well and was surprised when Johnson and his agent instead asked for a trade on the eve of the NFL’s trade deadline Oct. 31. Poles said at the time he only would trade Johnson for the opportunity to draft someone like him — a late first-round or early second-round pick — and didn’t receive such an offer.
Johnson only got better after the trade deadline. Quarterbacks averaged a 33.3 passer rating when throwing in his direction in 2023, a number lower than if they had thrown only incomplete passes. Pro Football Focus gave him the top overall grade and top coverage grade among cornerbacks.
Even as he praised Johnson in 2022, head coach Matt Eberflus pointed at a need for him to create takeaways. Johnson, who had only one interception in his first three seasons, logged four last season.
‘‘I’m so proud of Jaylon, the way he improved and the way he took the challenge to be a ball guy,’’ Eberflus said Tuesday. ‘‘He certainly did that.’’
Johnson said last spring that he had no designs on setting the top of the cornerback market, but his tone changed after his breakout season. The Packers’ Jaire Alexander makes $21 million per season, the most of any cornerback in the NFL, and the Browns’ Denzel Ward tops the position with a $100.5 million deal over five seasons. A shorter-term deal could give Johnson the per-year standard.
Johnson will play for the Bears next season one way or the other because of the franchise tag. Locking him in for multiple years, however, would send a message that the Bears reward their own players who play well. Poles has signed only four of his own players to multiyear extensions since taking over in January 2022: defensive end Montez Sweat, tight end Cole Kmet, kicker Cairo Santos and nose tackle Andrew Billings. Among those, only Kmet was a Bears draft pick. He and Johnson were second-round
selections in 2020.
‘‘He’s a great leader, not only in our defensive back room but in our whole defensive room, too,’’ Eberflus said of Johnson. ‘‘He’s
really starting to be a really good leader on our whole football team. I’m excited about him. . . .
‘‘I hope they’re close [on a contract]. I hope it works out. I’ll certainly be excited to have him back.’’
