Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson earned a well-deserved contract extension this offseason after proving his worth as a cornerstone of this defense moving forward.
Johnson is coming off a career year with Chicago, where he reeled in a career-high four interceptions, 36 tackles and 10 pass breakups in 14 games while also emerging as a top cover cornerback in the NFL. Johnson earned his first Pro Bowl and All-Pro nods for his impressive 2023 campaign.
The payoff was a four-year, $76 million contract extension that keeps him with the Bears through 2027. Despite getting paid, Johnson remains motivated to prove himself in the league.
His goal? “Being the best corner in the league,” Johnson said.
Johnson is certainly well on his way to getting there, especially coming off an impressive 2023 season where he was the highest-graded cornerback (90.8), according to Pro Football Focus.
But Johnson remains focused on the task at hand and continuing to work toward consistently being a top cornerback in the game.
“Discipline and daily work habits,” Bears head coach Matt Eberflus said. “That’s what he has done, and he showed that he had an area he needed to work on, and he got better at it. So, he showed determination and then he really showed his devotion and love for the game.”
Johnson will be a key leader among a young, ascending Bears defense looking to make a statement this season.