Bears' Jaylon Johnson projected to make an All-Pro leap following his 2023 breakout season
After stepping onto the scene in a big way during the 2023 season, Chicago Bears' cornerback Jaylon Johnson made himself a household name among the top cornerbacks currently in the league, but the work is far from over.Johnson was selected in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft by the Bears but never got […]
After stepping onto the scene in a big way during the 2023 season, Chicago Bears' cornerback Jaylon Johnson made himself a household name among the top cornerbacks currently in the league, but the work is far from over.
Johnson was selected in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft by the Bears but never got the nod to the Pro Bowl until the 2023 season after putting together one of the strongest seasons in the entire league at his position.
It couldn't have come at a better time. Johnson was in the final year of his rookie contract and the bridge in Chicago looked to be burned after he requested a trade ahead of the NFL trade deadline. Johnson wasn't moved and the Bears held strong that they would be able to lock up their rising star, and they did. Now, he's looking to prove to the team that they were right to believe and trust in him.
Jaylon Johnson's breakout isn't done just yet
Following Johnson's incredible season in 2023, there was still some lingering disrespect after he was snubbed from the first team All-Pro list and was instead named to the second team list. One national outlet writer projects that will change in 2024.
"Although he's been a fixture in the starting lineup since the club selected him in the second round of the 2020 draft, Johnson elevated his game to another level. He secured a career-high four interceptions—including one returned for a touchdown—and only allowed a personal-best completion rate of 55.2 percent while giving up just two touchdowns across the 58 targets he faced in 2023. Johnson scored a phenomenal 90.8 Pro Football Focus grade and landed a spot on the site's first-team All-Pro squad. PFF noted that he allowed a mere 195 yards on plays in which he was the primary coverage defender—the fewest of any corner to log at least 250 coverage snaps this past season."
– Bleacher Report's Alex Kay, 6 NFL Players Primed To Make an All-Pro Leap in 2024
There's a long standing belief in professional sports that once a star is paid with a top contract, their level of play begins to fall off without the added motivation. That's not the case for Johnson who still has high goals to achieve both personally and with the Bears now that he's in for the long haul in Chicago.
"The contract changes some people, but I’m not one of those," Johnson said. "For me, I still got a lot to prove to myself. And I mean, goals just continue to be set and you set new ones. The money doesn’t stop the hunger."
Getting the recognition he deserves as being on the first team All-Pro list is for sure on the short term list for Johnson with the long term goal being to eventually wear a gold jacket as a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
"I want to be able to have a [gold] jacket," Johnson explained. "I have those type of goals and aspirations and I know with things like that to get a [gold] jacket, you got to be consistently great. I think for me that's my goal is to consistently be great to have years like I had for back-to-back-to-back-to-back seasons."
These goals are of course achievable by taking it one step at a time and in the present moment that is done through the preparation for the 2024 season, which is where Johnson will be able to hone his craft even more facing against the Bears' offense.
Chicago's offense has been overhauled this offseason, adding top talent in players such as quarterback Caleb Williams, wide receiver Keenan Allen, and wide receiver Rome Odunze. Allen, the six-time veteran receiver, is the one player in particular Johnson is itching to go up against on the practice field.
"As soon as we got him, the first thing that I was thinking about was the one on ones," Johnson said on the "Up and Adams Show" with Kay Adams. "I'm not even thinking about what he's going to do for our team. I can't wait to go see him in practice."
If Johnson wants to replicate, or even one up, his monster 2023 season, the offseason preparation he will receive over the next few months will be the best he's ever had in his entire career. Iron sharpens iron in practice and now Johnson has the toughest piece of steel he's ever gone up against in practice lining up across the line of scrimmage. It'll be exciting to watch as Johnson continues to chase his goals and aspirations.
