After Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson returned an interception for a touchdown in Sunday’s 30-12 rout of the Raiders, he celebrated by finding a camera and staring into it while pretending to throw money in the air.
Johnson was asked in the locker room if that celebration was tied to his desire for a new contract. The fourth-year player is in the final year of his rookie deal and has not landed an extension with the Bears.
“You damn right,” Johnson said, via Josh Schrock of NBCSportsChicago.com. “100 percent. I’ve been wanting to get to the table. At the end of the day, I know who I am, and I know I can play this game at a high level. I feel like I deserve to be paid like that.”
Johnson, who had another interception in the win, said that he will look for someone else to step up if the Bears don’t give him the kind of deal he feels he deserves.
“I’m taking that attitude to any team,” Johnson said. “Any and everybody in the NFL. It’s with the Bears, then I’ll do that. If it’s with anybody else, for sure. I’m one of those guys that can be paid at a high level.”
Johnson has 15 tackles, three passes defensed, and a forced fumble to go with his two interceptions this season.
