The Chicago Bears have officially placed the franchise tag on Jaylon Johnson. While that ended any suspense about whether the team would tag him or not, it does not end the speculation about what will happen with Johnson, not only for this year but beyond.
Now that Johnson is tagged, what are the three things that can happen from here?
3. The Chicago Bears could work out an extension with Jaylon Johnson
Just because the team tagged Johnson does not mean that they will not be looking into contract extensions with the talented cornerback. In fact, it may still be smarter for the team to reach a longer team deal.
First, it helps them smooth over his cap hit. They can give him a signing bonus upfront and spread that money out over the duration of his contract. More than that, it avoids any questions about the future.
If Johnson plays well on the tag, what do the Bears do from there? They can tag him again, but it will be 120% of the current franchise tag cost. At that point, he will be setting the market as the highest-paid cornerback. Why not set the market with an extension that is better for both sides?
The Bears placed the non-exclusive franchise tag on Johnson, so they will let Johnson look for other offers and set his market. Perhaps he comes back with something both sides agree on.
2. The Chicago Bears could still trade Jaylon Johnson
As noted, with the non-exclusive tag, the Bears are letting Johnson listen to other offers. He will not get much traction, though because the team signing him would have to trade two first-round picks. Johnson is talented, but no team is going to sign him and trade two first-round picks.
However, this does open the door to another trade. Perhaps the team does not give him an offer sheet, but rather gauge the interest of Johnson during these calls.
If that team thinks that they can extend him, they can offer the Bears something less than two first-round draft picks and try to acquire Johnson.
If the Bears think it is worth it, they could make that move. Still, the deal would likely have to be one first-round pick in value, if not a little bit more, even if it is not two firsts.
After that trade, the team could extend him. The Chicago Bears are making this more possible by placing the non-exclusive tag on Johnson. Fans have to remember that this means more than just the Bears potentially getting two firsts back.
1. The Chicago Bears may let Jaylon Johnson play this season on the franchise tag
The first two scenarios may benefit both sides more and provide more resolution. With that said the most likely scenario for Jaylon Johnson and the Chicago Bears remains him playing out the franchise tag. Johnson just had the best year of his career and wants to get paid like it.
The Chicago Bears know that Johnson is good, but one out of four years was as good as he wants to get paid for. Do they trust that he can do that, or are the other three seasons more indicative of his play?
As we noted, teams may look into the price of what it would cost to sign Johnson, but no one will offer two firsts to sign him. A trade is still out there, but it would be messy, and the price is tough to find exactly.
Johnson wants to sign a deal. The Bears do want to tie up their cap like this, but if the two sides do not come to an agreement, he will play the year on the franchise tag. Then, after the season, the two sides can either agree on a deal, Johnson can walk, or he can get the franchise tag one more time. Stay tuned.