Jaylon Johnson is still in Chicago, but the saga is far from over
The NFL Trade Deadline came and went with multiple players landing in new homes for the remainder of the 2023 season. While the half of the story is about the players who were moved at the deadline, the other half of the story is about those who didn't get traded. Such is the case for […]
The NFL Trade Deadline came and went with multiple players landing in new homes for the remainder of the 2023 season.
While the half of the story is about the players who were moved at the deadline, the other half of the story is about those who didn't get traded.
Such is the case for Chicago Bears disgruntled cornerback Jaylon Johnson. The Bears agreed to grant Johnson his trade request on Monday night but the team was unable to find a team willing to meet their reportedly steep asking price.
As a result, Johnson will return to the team facility in Chicago and continue to play out the rest of his $1.6M contract that is owed for the rest of the season. However, the saga is far from over.
While Johnson's return seems to be good news for the majority of Bears fans, it doesn't mean a trade won't happen in the future. Once the season comes to a close, Johnson is set to be an unrestricted free agent, but there's no way Bears general manager Ryan Poles will let him walk away with nothing in return.
According to Josina Anderson, Johnson does not plan to re-enter negotiations throughout the remainder of the season with the Bears. Given that the two sides will have to abandon long-term extension talks, the Bears will have no choice but to place Johnson on the franchise tag after the season ends.
The cost to franchise tag a cornerback like Johnson would cost the Bears roughly $19.5M and will allow the team to retain him in order to revisit trade talks with other teams. However, first order of business in Chicago has to be locking newly acquired defensive end Montez Sweat on a long-term contract.
Johnson will have to play out 9 more games with the Bears until they can reach that point. However, the nine games will also give Johnson the opportunity to prove to the Bears, or other teams for that matter, that he is worth the high price he's asking for
That job will also get a lot easier than it was during the first 8 weeks of the season now that the Bears traded for Sweat before Tuesday's deadline. Having a star pass rusher certainly can make life easier for Johnson and the Bears secondary. Overall, this battle with Johnson is far from over, as will be his chapter in Chicago.
Bears have agreed to terms to acquire Commanders defensive end Montez Sweat
Ryan Poles will be a buyer after all
