Jaylon Johnson Receives $19.8M Bears Franchise Tag Amid Contract Rumors

The Chicago Bears placed the $19.8 million franchise tag on Jaylon Johnson on Tuesday, a move that could keep one of the best defenders in football in the Windy City for at least one more year.

According to CBS Sports' Jonathan Jones, the two sides have been discussing a long-term contract:

The two sides will have until July 15 to get a long-term deal done or Johnson will have to play the 2024 season on a one-year deal.

Johnson spent the first four seasons of his career on the Bears, and he isn't going anywhere following this development. Still, his future was a topic of discussion throughout the past year, especially when he received permission in October to seek a trade.

Yet no trade happened, and he told ESPN's Courtney Cronin in December he wanted to stay with the team that drafted him.

"I want to stay here," Johnson said. "I definitely want to get something done [with Chicago] first but at the end of the day, if something doesn't get done, I'm not opposed to any other options. But I would love to stay here, so that's that.

"I feel like we're building something special, too, especially the guys in the locker room. It's something that I don't think I can get anywhere else. I would like to stay in that and continue to build, make it better."

He is staying for at least one more year, although there still isn't a long-term deal in place even though he is an elite playmaker who can defend the opponent's best wide receiver and shut down an entire half of the field for extended stretches in a game.

Brad Spielberger of Pro Football Focus ranked him as the top free agent cornerback in January and highlighted how he "boasts ball production and lockdown coverage abilities that prevent targets as well as anyone, never allowing a 60% completion rate in any NFL season thus far."

The 2023 season was arguably Johnson's best, as he was named to the Associated Press All-Pro Second Team and the Pro Bowl.

He appeared in 14 games and finished with 36 tackles, 10 passes defended, one forced fumble and four interceptions, one of which he returned for a touchdown. The four picks were a career-high, and the 10 passes defended were his most since he was a rookie in 2020.

Johnson figures to remain productive for the foreseeable future considering he will be just 25 years old throughout the 2024 campaign.

Having a lockdown cornerback is more important than ever in today's pass-happy NFL, and the Bears still have one of the best ones even if his long-term future is still uncertain given the nature of the franchise tag.