With the heavy lifting of free agency over for this year, the focus for the Chicago Bears and the other 31 NFL teams now shifts to the draft.
With that in mind, John Kosko of Pro Football Focus has named each team's most valuable trade asset heading toward April's draft. For the Bears, he went with cornerback Jaylon Johnson.
"Johnson is three years removed from an elite season that earned him a massive contract extension. He followed that campaign by ranking fifth among cornerbacks in PFF advanced coverage grade. However, in 2025, he fell outside the top 32 as the entire secondary struggled with consistency when not generating turnovers."
"Trading Johnson would free up cap space while also bringing back valuable draft capital for Chicago to invest in the offensive line or skill positions. His proven NFL production and positional value should still make him a solid return in any potential deal."
On the heels of the great 2023 season Kosko mentioned, where he was PFF's No. 1-graded cornerback, the Bears signed Johnson two a four-year, $76 million contract extension with $51.4 million guaranteed, in 2024. As Kosko also hinted, he followed that up with a 2024 campagn where was PFF's 13th-ranked corner by overall grade.
Jaylon Johnson is (probably) as far from the trade block as it gets right now
Johnson's performance undeniably dropped off last season. But he also played one game before Week 13 due to a significant groin injury that dated back to July.
When he returned, after undergoing core muscle surgery, Johnson was clearly operating at far less than full strength. He shouldn't have been playing as much as he was, but a lack of viable options and Tyrique Stevenson falling out of favor forced it.
As his return to action approached last season, Bleacher Report's Brad Gagnon named Johnson as the Bears' top offseason trade chip. The idea of trading him didn't make any sense then, and it makes even less sense now after Nahshon Wright's departure in free agency.
Johnson has two years left on his contract. which has aged rather well as the cornerback market has risen. That also makes him an appealing potential trade target for other teams.
But the Bears would take on at least $9 million in dead money for this year by trading Johnson, via a post-June 1 deal, and $15.5 million in gained cap space (according to Over The Cap) at that point in the calendar would be a lot of money with nowhere to be used in terms of impact on the 2026 roster.
A trade before June 1 that fits the premise of Johnson as a trade asset that could bring draft capital this year would give the Bears $18 million in dead money and $6.5 million in cap savings. Unless something is done to restructure his money to make a trade more palatable, the Bears are not trading Johnson before the draft.
Read more: Tyrique Stevenson has special source of motivation heading into a pivotal season
Getting down to it, the Bears probably aren't trading Johnson--this offseason, or ever. The idea he can return to being a legit No. 1 corner next season, driven by the easy expectation of better health, makes him someone you don't trade away for anything less than an offer you absolutely cannot refuse.