With a 1-5 record and just over a week away from the Oct. 31 trade deadline, the Chicago Bears have been the subject of trade rumors. Safety Eddie Jackson, receiver Darnell Mooney, quarterback Justin Fields and cornerback Jaylon Johnson are among the names that have been tossed around in various trade proposals.
Johnson is set to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the 2023 season and has been identified as a trade target primarily because he and the team were unable to agree on a contract extension during the offseason.
The 24-year-old has developed into one of the better cornerbacks in the league. Through four games this season, the former Utah standout has allowed just 89 passing yards, a 52.9 completion percentage, and a 68.0 quarterback rating on balls thrown his way.
However, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the Bears are not looking to deal the young cornerback.
The Bears have not made calls on corner Jaylon Johnson, who is on teams’ radars as a talented player in a contract year. He would garner strong interest if available, but my sense is the Bears have very little interest in making him so. Quality corners are hard to find, and Chicago has to figure out ways to win games.
On one hand, trading away assets on expiring contracts or at least ones they don’t intend to re-sign makes sense. The Bears have done an excellent job of that over the last couple of seasons to acquire much-needed draft capital.
The organization went through a similar carousel last year, dealing linebacker Roquan Smith and defensive end Robert Quinn in a matter of days. The transactions, in turn, have put Chicago in a prime position to potentially have two top-five draft picks in the 2024 NFL draft.
But at some point, general manager Ryan Poles must stop trading away talent and start locking down players they feel will be part of the next great Bears team. Under Poles, the organization has gotten back into a good spot regarding the salary cap.
Now is the time to utilize some of that cap space to retain key players. That includes Johnson. According to Spotrac, Johnson’s contract extension is projected to be three years and just over $23 million, or $7.7 million AAV.