Could a new contract for Jaylon Johnson be coming soon?

Chicago Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson enjoyed arguably the best game of his career in Week 7 against the Las Vegas Raiders.

Johnson, a former second-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, has long been viewed as a good cover guy who cannot create turnovers. He entered Week 7 with only one career interception.

That narrative changed Sunday when Johnson snagged two interceptions against Brian Hoyer, including one he returned for a touchdown.

It was a statement game for Johnson, who’s in the final year of his contract and has been hoping for a new deal from Chicago. GM Ryan Poles has made it clear that 2023 is a prove-it year for the the veteran cornerback. Against the Raiders, he proved he’s as valuable to the Bears’ defense as any player on the roster.

It was also the kind of game that can ramp up contract talks. Johnson hinted that negotiations are heating up during a recent appearance on 670 The Score.

“Yeah, I mean, it’s a process, it’s a process,” Johnson said. “But things are, I would say, starting to, hopefully, to ramp up. We’ll see kind of where things go, especially in this next week . . . just before the trade deadline.

“You never know what can happen beforehand, but just looking forward to seeing where things go. Because I mean, to me, it’s different and just talking and really just, ‘OK, well, let’s try to figure something out, let’s try to figure something out’ versus things getting done. So I ’m just looking forward to seeing what actually gets done.”

Jaylon Johnson began the 2023 season with an uncertain future in Chicago. Poles invested two early-round picks on cornerbacks Kyler Gordon and Tyrique Stevenson in the 2022 and 2023 NFL Drafts, which has led many to believe Johnson will be traded this year or, perhaps, be allowed to leave in free agency so the Bears can recoup a compensatory draft pick.

It would be foolish for Poles not to re-sign a 24-year-old cornerback — one of the sport’s premium positions — who’s a leader on a young and rebuilding defense. Johnson is considered one of the better cornerbacks in the NFC, and not paying him his market value would send a bad message to the locker room.

Bears players need to know that if they play well on the field, they’ll be rewarded in kind. Tight end Cole Kmet signed a four-year, $50 million extension before the start of the season, which is a good start. But Johnson is arguably more important to the team than Kmet, the fact that he wasn’t Poles” top priority is a bit surprising.

Aside from the lack of interceptions, Johnson’s value is hurt by his injury history. He’s never played a full season in his career. In 2022, he appeared in a career-low 11 games. He’s already missed two games this year.

Regardless, Johnson is undeniably good. He’s started all of the 44 games he’s played and is consistently one of the Chicago Bears’ highest-graded defenders. His 2023 Pro Football Focus grade — 85.5 — is tops on the Bears’ defense, including a near-elite 88.1 coverage score.

The NFL trade deadline is quickly approaching (October 31), and if the Bears don’t ink Jaylon Johnson to a new deal soon, speculation about his availability on the trade market will run wild.

Despite a 2-5 record, the Bears must try to re-sign their core players. Johnson is one of them. There’s no way this team will consistently win games if they continue to let their best players leave via trade or free agency.

Johnson will have another opportunity to prove his worth Sunday night against Justin Herbert and the Los Angeles Chargers. If he has another productive game, I have a sneaky suspicion he’ll sign a lucrative contract extension before Week 9.