By Brad Berreman ,
1 hours ago
Chicago Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect
After an injury-riddled 2025 season, Chicago Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson made it clear how he viewed this season back in August.
"This is definitely a contract year," Johnson said, via ESPN's Courtney Cronin . "We all know with the cap hit and all that stuff. It's definitely a contract year for me. At the end of the day, whether that's here, somewhere else, I've gotta put it on tape that I'm still a top guy in this league."
Johnson is of course technically under contract through 2027, but his $25 million cap hit is not very tenable and he'd be ripe for an extension or a restructuring at some point.
After a breakthrough season in 2023, the Bears gladly rewarded Johnson with a four-year, $76 million contract extension. Treating this like a contract year under the aforementioned circumstances is absolutely warranted.
However, Johnson has not performed like someone who is deserving of a new contract. Entering Week 9 he has posted a 38.1 overall grade from Pro Football Focus , which is 97th out of 102 qualifying cornerbacks. He is allowing the highest passer rating (124.3), ...