5. Did Jaylon Johnson earn a new contract with the Chicago Bears?
Jaylon Johnson struggled against A.J. Brown. He also had issues when they tried to make him play in the slot. Beyond those small circumstances, Johnson was excellent this season. Some of his great play can be watered down by the fact that there were so many open receivers away from him that quarterbacks would be dumb to target him.
At the same time, he has earned respect from quarterbacks and teams knew to scheme away from him. That is an accomplishment in the NFL. The question with Johnson is whether or not he will get a contract extension.
He was not a draft pick of Ryan Poles, but he has been a hit in every way, and at the right price, should be a long-term piece, regardless of who drafted him. It helps that the Chicago Bears have plenty of cap space, so they could give him money upfront, then have lower cap hits on the back end of the deal.
So, Jaylon Johnson actually may be in the right place at the right time. They have to get better on defense, and that means filling holes, not creating them. When you add the Bears’ cap situation and ability to extend their own with ease and massage the numbers later, it makes a lot of sense that Johnson cashes in soon.