Jaylon Johnson has established himself as one of the NFL’s best cornerbacks, where he’s been a big part of the resurgence with this Bears defense. And with Johnson in a contract year, it certainly appears that his price tag continues to increase.
Johnson has been a top coverage cornerback in the league, but he’s also added the interception component to his game this season with a career-high four interceptions in 11 games. And Johnson believes he deserves more money on his next contract than he originally thought.
“After this season, I feel like there’s not anything that you can say that I’m not doing,” Johnson said on the Parkins & Spiegel Show on Monday. “I feel like before the season, (I felt) for three years, I’ve covered at a high rate. And it’s been like, ‘Oh, can he get the interception? Can he get the interception?’ So it’s like, after this year, you can’t say I can’t cover at a high level
“…You can’t say I’m not an elite cover guy. You can’t say that I can’t take the ball away. You can’t say to me that I can’t tackle. So I mean, realistically, what is it that I can’t do that deserves top pay, top corner money? I feel like now there’s definitely opportunity and room – and especially if I touch All-Pro. I feel like there’s not anything that I haven’t done that’s deserving of it.”
Johnson is Pro Football Focus’ highest-graded cornerback this season, and he continues to shine as the Bears defense trends upward. So did Chicago miss out on getting him at a discounted rate?
“Maybe, I mean maybe,” Johnson said. “I’m thinking the same way y’all are thinking.”
The Bears also have the option of using the franchise tag, which would pay Johnson the average of the top five salaries at his position. And he wouldn’t necessarily be mad, given Over The Cap projects it to be in the $18.41 million range.
“The money is still good,” Johnson joked.
