Grading Jaylon Johnson’s New Contract with the Bears

The Chicago Bears announced Thursday that Pro Bowl cornerback Jaylon Johnson had agreed to terms on a contract extension. It’s a 4-year, $76 million contract for Johnson with $54 million guaranteed, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The deal came just two days after the franchise tag was applied to the star cornerback, who is now locked in with Chicago for the next four years.

Compared to other cornerback contracts, Johnson’s is one of the strongest in terms of guaranteed money, even if he’s not quite the highest earner. Jaire Alexander signed a 4-year, $84 million deal in 2022 but only had $30 million guaranteed, according to Spotrac. Denzel Ward inked a $100 million contract with $71 million guaranteed in 2022, but this was for five years, not four.

Despite the big numbers on Johnson’s new contract, it’s surprisingly team-friendly. Given the enormous boost to the salary cap in 2024 and considering Johnson’s banner year in 2023, I fully expected the floor of any new contract to be $21 million. Instead, the AAV works out to $19 million, which is actually below what Johnson would have earned on the franchise tag ($19.8 million in 2024).

Clearly, Jaylon Johnson meant it when he said he wanted to remain a Chicago Bear, and now he will be until the 2028 offseason.

Looking at this contract from the team’s point of view, it’s pretty easy to grade. The Chicago Bears will retain the services of arguably the best coverage cornerback in the NFL for the next four years and at a slight hometown discount. They were able to front-load the contract, with well over half of the money due in the first two years. Should Johnson regress the next two seasons, there’s an easy out for Chicago, and they won’t be left holding the bag.

It’s also good for the locker room. This is the latest in a string of moves that shows Ryan Poles wants to win now. He locked in tight end Cole Kmet with an extension last offseason, then traded a premium pick for star defensive end Montez Sweat and made him one of the highest-paid players at his position. Now Jaylon Johnson has a new contract of his own before free agency even starts. You have to believe Johnson’s teammates are nearly as excited by the news as he is.

This was a great deal for everyone involved: for Johnson, for the Chicago Bears, and Bears fans.

As for a grade? The contract gets an A+.