Bears News: Jaylon Johnson: "I want to be the best 33 to wear the jersey" |
Now that Pro Bowl cornerback
Jaylon Johnson has secured his four-year, $76 million contract, he has bigger goals in mind — the Hall of Fame. He is seeking to prove that last season was not a fluke and that he can consistently be great.
“I want to be able to have a yellow jacket. I want to be the best 33 to wear the jersey,” Johnson said. “So, just for me, I have those type of goals and aspirations and I know with things like that, to get a yellow jacket, you got to be consistently great and I think for me, that’s my goal, to consistently be great, to have years like I had for back-to-back-to-back-to-back seasons.” In his first three seasons, Johnson did not put up Pro Bowl, much less Hall of Fame, numbers with a total of one interception and two forced fumbles during that span. In 2022, however, he had the highest Pro Football Focus grade of any cornerback, recorded four interceptions and returned one for a touchdown against the Las Vegas Raiders. The negotiation for the contract took a long time, starting during the season and progressing through the offseason. In that span, Chicago gave Johnson permission to seek a trade. However, there was not a team that gave Johnson a contract he thought he deserved. Johnson said there was certainly a large difference between the offer during the season and his current deal, attributable to the fact that his stock went up following the trade deadline. That was also part of why he knew the deal was coming and knew that even before receiving the franchise tag. “It’s something that we knew was going to come. Just continuing to stick to the process,” Johnson said. “We communicated during (the) season, throughout the offseason. So, it was pretty smooth as far as timing goes.” While his contract may not be the largest contract, he is receiving the second-highest contract in guaranteed at signing money out of any secondary player in the league, with only three-time Pro-Bowler Denzel Ward receiving more guaranteed at signing money. His contract is structured quite a bit differently than Ward’s, however, since Johnson’s contract is more cap-friendly, with his cap hit for 2023 being $13 million and the rest of his three years having a cap hit of $21 million each. Despite receiving this contract, Johnson feels that the league as a whole, other players, and even Chicago coaches still do not completely respect him and value him for his ability. This may bring some players down, but for Johnson, it motivates him to push himself further. “I know the player I am. I know the dawg that I am and I know that I can go out there and play the game at a high level and I feel like I’ve been doing that for so many years in the league,” Johnson said. “So, I think for me, it wasn’t anything different or new that I felt like I had to do, but just go out there and give all I have, continue to lock guys down like I always do.” Even with Johnson receiving his contract and the presence of Tyrique Stevenson, who is coming off of his rookie season, the Bears needed to add some depth at corner. They did this with the signing of two-time All-Pro Kevin Byard who spent most of his career with the Tennessee Titans before getting traded during the 2023 season to the Philadelphia Eagles. He will bring some veteran experience that everyone can benefit from, including Johnson. “He’s been playing the game at a high level for a long time,” Johnson said. “So, definitely glad to have him.”
