The Bears and Jaylon Johnson had gone back-and-forth about a potential contract extension so many times over the past year — including a trade request that lasted 24 hours — that another two days turned out to be no big deal.
The Bears wanted to agree to an extension with their standout cornerback by the franchise-tag deadline Tuesday. Instead, they got it done Thursday. The sides agreed to a four-year deal that will pay Johnson $76 million, with $54.4 million guaranteed, sources said.
The 24-year-old Johnson repeatedly said he wanted to stay in Chicago. The Bears wanted him at Halas Hall, too. General manager Ryan Poles vowed that Johnson wasn’t going anywhere, despite his rookie contract being set to run out this offseason.
On Tuesday, the Bears gave him the franchise tag, which guaranteed he would, at the least, play for the Bears in 2024 for $19.8 million. The tag allowed the two sides to keep working on an extension until July 15.
“He’s an integral part of our defense,” Poles said in a statement. “And his leadership will help our team continue to ascend.”
At the NFL Scouting Combine last week, Poles said the Bears had made an offer to the cornerback that allowed him to return to free agency while still in his prime. The four-year deal he signed will get him back on the open market at age 28.
“Cash flows are strong, guarantees are strong,” Poles said then. “The term is strong for him — with his age, there’s a really good opportunity for him to [get] 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 didn’t reset the cornerback market for average annual value or total dollars — the Packers’ Jaire Alexander ($21 million) and the Browns’ Denzel Ward ($100.5 million) hold those crowns — but he got the second-highest amount of money guaranteed at signing ($43.8 million) of any player at his position.
The result is a far cry from where the two sides sat in October. After what Poles believed was a productive meeting, Johnson and his representative requested a trade on the eve of the NFL trade deadline.
Poles said he’d only part with Johnson for the opportunity to draft someone like him — meaning a first- or second-round pick. Without such an offer, he held onto Johnson, who got even better from that point on.
Pro Football Focus gave him the top grade among all cornerbacks last year. Quarterbacks had a 33.3 passer rating when throwing in his direction. After corralling only one interception in his first three seasons, Johnson had four last season. He made the Pro Bowl and was named second-team All-Pro.
He told the Sun-Times while attending his first Pro Bowl last month that the strong finish changed his market value.
“Hell, yeah,” he said. “Before, I didn’t have All-Pro and Pro Bowl to my name. So definitely the price went up.”
He joins the increasing number of Bears players to earn multiyear extensions. Poles has rewarded star defensive end Montez Sweat, tight end Cole Kmet, kicker Cairo Santos and nose tackle Andrew Billings with multiyear deals since July.
Johnson and Kmet, who were picked seven spots apart in the second round of the 2020 draft, are the only two who were drafted by the team.
Poles now can turn his attention fully to free agency, which begins when the legal-tampering period opens Monday.
Coach Matt Eberflus said last week that he was eager for Johnson to return long-term.
“He’s starting to become a really good leader on our football team,” he said. “I’m excited about him.”
