The Chicago Bears will have a decision to make on cornerback Jaylon Johnson. General Manager Ryan Poles said that Johnson is not going anywhere so that does settle one thing. However, it does open the door to a few possibilities. What are the most likely outcomes for Jaylon Johnson with the Chicago Bears?
3. The Chicago Bears will let Jaylon Johnson play on the franchise tag
The Chicago Bears are most likely going to franchise tag Jaylon Johnson. It is the most simple decision to make right now, especially when you consider the sides may stil be a bit apart. Johnson entered the year without a contract because he wanted to earn more money than the Bears were offering.
Now, he played like one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL. So, he went from expecting cornerback one money to expecting to be one of the highest paid cornerbacks in the NFL. The Chicago Bears may have went from thinking he was a low-end one or high-end two cornerback to now knowing that he is worth cornerback one money, but maybe not market changing money, due to him playing at this high of a level for just one season.
The sides did not have the same number in mind last year, or throughout the year, so there is a real chance they do not come to a conclusion. Still, the Bears can franchise tag him, which will be about $20M. It is not quite the money Johnson will want, but it is more than the Bears were prepared to pay this offseason.
If Johnson plays well on the tag and shows he can string it together, perhaps the Bears extend him after next season.
2. The Chicago Bears will tag and trade Jaylon Johnson
This is going to be less discussed, especially after the comments that Ryan Poles made. However, Poles also said that if a team came out of the blue with an offer for any pick or player that he would always consider it. The same can be said for Johnson.
Lets say Johnson is on the tag for just this year. Do the Bears want to try to extend him, or are they going to be worried that they are paying him a ton without any long term commitment? More than that, the Bears saw growth from both their rookies Tyrique Stevenson and Terell Smith this year.
The Bears may get an offer that they cannot refuse and a team may give up a real asset to extend Jaylon Johnson. If the Bears and Johnson cannot work out an extension then it would be a win-win for the Bears to get something back and for Johnson to get his deal elsewhere.
The Chicago Bears will not lose Jaylon Johnson for nothing, but there is still that Johnson is on a different team in 2024. The tag and trade is the most likely option.
1. The Chicago Bears will work out an extension with Jaylon Johnson
This would be a win for all sides. The Chicago Bears can and likely will tag Jaylon Johnson. At the very least it makes sure he does not enter free agency, and it buys the team some time to work on an extension. While the Bears will make Johnson play on the extension if they do not get the right deal back and if they do not get a deal done with Johnson, they also would like to get an extension done.
They can smooth over some of the cap numbers and manipulate it to their liking, which they cannot do on the franchise tag. This is obviouslky the best case for Johnson as well. The tag is good money, but it is one year, One injury or a poor performance could impact his long term earnings.
An extension would be guaranteed money for a few seasons and the ability to earn longer term money on the back end. Both sides will be incetnivized to get this done. Talks around money can get messy, which is why there are so many potential outcomes, but this remains the mostl likely end point for both sides.