Jaylon Johnson, Darnell Mooney, Bears Free Agents' Projected Contracts
The Chicago Bears have one key decision when it comes to their impending free agents.
The NFC North side needs to decide if it wants to pay cornerback Jaylon Johnson or not.
Johnson is one of the top defensive players in the 2024 free-agent class. He could sign for big money elsewhere if the Bears fail to agree to a deal.
Chicago does not have to worry about its salary cap situation, as it enters Monday with $79.7 million in cap space, per Spotrac.
The large chunk of cap room will allow the Bears to bring in more talent on both sides of the ball. The expected free-agent chase of a new wide receiver also means Darnell Mooney could be on the way out.
The Bears will not lose much outside of Johnson in free agency if they can replace those players with upgrades.
Jaylon Johnson
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Jaylon Johnson is the one name coming out of every mouth in the Bears fan base right now.
The Bears have the salary cap space to sign the cornerback to a long-term deal, and it does not appear the franchise will settle through the franchise tag.
General manager Ryan Poles spoke about the situation last week, per NFL Network's Andrew Siciliano.
"I'd like to avoid the franchise tag for [Jaylon Johnson]," Poles said.
The Bears handed out $189 million worth of contracts to Montez Sweat, Tremaine Edmunds and T.J. Edwards in the last 12 months.
The big spending on defense should extend to Johnson so that the Bears enter the 2024 campaign with a playoff-caliber defense.
The Bears will need that type of defense even more if they draft Caleb Williams with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft and he needs a few games to get used to the NFL speed.
Projection: Four years, $70 million
Darnell Mooney
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Darnell Mooney probably is not coming back to Chicago unless he accepts a decreased role.
Mooney picked up 414 receiving yards as the No. 2 wide receiver behind D.J. Moore. He was the No. 3 pass-catcher on the roster behind Moore and tight end Cole Kmet.
The Bears need more production out of the No. 2 wide out spot. That should lead to an aggressive pursuit of a free agent, or a wide receiver selected at No. 9 overall in the NFL draft.
Either way, Mooney would be the No. 3 wide receiver at best if he returns to the Bears.
Mooney may be better off joining teams with less wide receiver depth, like the Carolina Panthers, in an attempt to get back to his 1,000-yard form from 2021.
Projection: Two years, $10 million
Yannick Ngakoue
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Yannick Ngakoue feels like he's been around forever, but he is only 29.
The Bears got seven quarterback hits, six tackles for loss and four sacks out of Ngakoue last season before he suffered a broken ankle.
The injury may hurt Ngakoue's free-agent market a bit. The Bears could look to bring him back on another one-year deal to provide more help on the defensive line.
Ngakoue can't be the only played signed on the defensive interior, but he proved last season that he has plenty left in the tank despite hopping around from team to team since he left Jacksonville in 2020.
Ngakoue signed a deal worth $10.5 million last offseason. The Bears probably have to pay around that number to keep him.
Projection: One year, $9 million
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