Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson made his organized team activities debut this week at Halas Hall, returning to the practice field after missing the first two weeks of voluntary workouts.
With Johnson entering a contract year, there was plenty of speculation about his absence being attributed to his contract situation. But that wasn’t the case.
“Not even close,” Johnson said. “Anybody who knows me, that’s not my character … I have a 3-year-old daughter back at home in California and I’m a dad before I’m anything else. Before I’m a football player, before I’m anything, I’m a dad first. I don’t get to spend too much time with her during the season because she’s back at home in California.
“I take pride in being a dad. I’m not just any old type of dad that just comes and sees their kid. I’m present. I’m spending time. I’m putting my heart into my daughter. When it comes to the offseason, I take that serious. I communicate that to the coaches and they understood and hopefully respected it. I’m going to be there for my daughter because they can find another corner. My daughter can’t find another dad.”
While Johnson wasn’t physically at the facility in the last two weeks, he remained involved through Zoom meetings. Now, he’s back on the practice field ahead of mandatory minicamp next week.
As for his future in Chicago, Johnson made it clear that he wants to be a Bear for the long term.
“100%,” he said. “I look forward to staying and extending with the Bears.”
