Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson asked for a trade before the deadline earlier this year and then said he wasn’t interested in talking about a contract extension when one failed to materialize, but he has a different view on the matter as the 2023 season winds down.
Johnson is playing out the final year of the deal he signed as a 2020 second-round pick and he is part of a defense that has been playing well over the second half of the season. On Wednesday, Johnson expressed interest in continuing to be a part of that defense in 2024 and beyond.
“I mean, it’s all I know, honestly,” Johnson said, via Josh Schrock of NBCSportsChicago.com. “I just couldn’t see myself anywhere else. It’s easy to say, oh, you want out of somewhere until you get it and then it’s like, ‘Ah, this may not be quite what I want.’ But I would say for me, I want to stay here, and I want to not make that transition now. I feel like we’re building something special, too, especially with the guys in the locker room. I don’t think it’s something I can get anywhere else. I would like to stay and continue to build and make this better, and shit, I want to win some games and get to the playoffs and make a push with the Chicago name, too.”
Johnson said that he “added some money to the value” with his play this season — 31 tackles, four interceptions, 10 passes defensed, and a forced fumble — so it doesn’t sound like he’s planning to accept anything the Bears send his way. That could put the franchise tag into play if the Bears feel the same way about a future that involves Johnson.
