John Johnson excited about contract year: ‘I’m betting on myself’

John Johnson on playing in a contract year: “I kind of like it.”

Several key Rams players will become free agents next offseason, led by Jalen Ramsey, John Johnson and Cooper Kupp. Ramsey has very little to prove when it comes to his next contract, but Johnson and Kupp have both missed significant time with injuries and neither is the established star that Ramsey is.

Johnson welcomes the chance to prove himself in a contract year, which 2020 will be if he doesn’t sign an extension beforehand. The Rams have made it clear that Johnson, Ramsey and Kupp are all part of their future plans, but that doesn’t mean they’ll commit to all three this summer.

“I’ve always used the term, ‘I’m going to bet on myself,’ so it being a contract year, I kind of like it,” Johnson said on the Rams Revealed podcast. “It just means, hey, it’s go time. Like, this is it, it’s make it or break it. It’s not more pressure or anything, I’ve just got to go out there and keep doing what I’m doing. But in the back of your mind you’re like, all right, it’s go time.”

Johnson’s willingness to bet on himself doesn’t mean he wouldn’t like to get long-term security ahead of time, rather than having to play out the entire season on his rookie deal. That’s the case for just about every player, but Johnson is confident in himself that he’ll earn a lucrative new contract if he keeps playing the way he has.

“In a perfect world, you’d get the money right now, but it doesn’t always work out like that. It’s a business and like I said, I got hurt last year. That’s another factor that people don’t see. They don’t want to pay a guy that’s coming off an injury. So I kind of like it. My play will speak for itself and I’m betting on myself so let’s do it.”

Johnson suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in Week 6 and was limited to only six games. Still, in that limited action, he picked off two passes and made 51 tackles. Those numbers ranked tied for first and seventh on the team, respectively, in less than half the season.

When healthy, Johnson is one of the best young safeties in the NFL. The duo of him and Taylor Rapp on the back end gives the Rams a ton of versatility in the secondary, and a safety net that will not only make impactful plays, but also prevent them from the opponent.