Good news, Bears fans: Jaylon Johnson isn’t going anywhere

If you believe what Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles said during his end-of-year press conference on Wednesday, then you should feel really good about cornerback Jaylon Johnson being back with the Bears in 2024.

Johnson is fresh off the best year of his career, earning his first Pro Bowl bid after totaling four interceptions. He had just one interception in the previous three seasons combined. He was Pro Football Focus’ highest-graded cornerback (90.8) in 2023, registering an elite coverage grade of 91.0.

Needless to say, Johnson was a massive reason why the Chicago Bears’ defense was so productive this season, and he’s a core player to keep building around.

According to Poles, they will.

“Jaylon’s not going to go anywhere and we’ll work through it to get something done,” Poles said. “We have really good communication. The big thing was just kind of take a break here after the season and then we’ll start talks again. I feel really good about that situation.”

Johnson said in December that he wants to remain with the Bears. At this point, it just comes down to the dollars making sense.

“I feel like we’re building something special, too, especially with the guys in the locker room,” Jaylon Johnson said last month. “I don’t think it’s something I can get anywhere else. I would like to stay and continue to build and make this better, and sh–, I want to win some games and get to the playoffs and make a push with the Chicago name, too.”

I doubt Johnson will reset the cornerback market, but he certainly increased his value in 2023. Green Bay Packers cornerback Jaire Alexander currently has the highest average annual salary of $21 million per year, with Denzel Ward (Cleveland Browns) next at $20.1 million per year. Alexander signed a four-year, $84 million deal on May 16, 2022. Ward signed his deal one month earlier in April 2022.

Dallas Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs signed a