Bears Offseason: Tagging Jaylon Johnson Answers One Question, More Remain

The Chicago Bears finally answered one of their biggest lingering NFL offseason questions on Tuesday. No, not that one.

A decision regarding the No. 1 overall pick, and along with it the future of Justin Fields? That will have to wait. But what couldn't was the franchise tag fate of Jaylon Johnson. With no new deal agreed upon by both sides, Chicago placed the non-exclusive tag on its star cornerback—who would have been among the top names on the free-agent market—ahead of the 4 p.m. ET deadline, the team announced, a step to ensure Johnson remains in the Bears secondary for the 2024 season—one way or another.

Because this situation is far from over.

Chicago's 24-year-old Pro Bowler will receive $19.8 million playing next season under the one-year tag, which the Bears had not used since 2021 under a different regime. That is, unless the two sides agree on a much-desired long-term contract before the July 15 deadline.

Johnson has expressed a desire to remain with the Bears, while general manager Ryan Poles has been adamant the franchise won't let the 2020 second-round pick leave easily. Hence, the franchise tag. Poles believed at the NFL scouting combine last week that there was good space to find the "middle ground" in extension talks. Not enough, apparently, to do so before Tuesday afternoon—when Poles said he'd prefer to have a deal done by—although both sides likely knew this move would be on the way should figures still be far apart, so there may not have been much urgency to fold leverage one way or the other.

But now that the long-impending tag decision has been made, time will tell how contract talks develop. This just bought the Bears and Johnson some more time.

"We feel like we've done a really good job coming to the table strong and showing the respect that he's due just in terms of his production through his career and really an emphasis on the turnovers he created this past year," Poles told reporters a week ago in Indianapolis. "Our expectation is that's going to continue to go as [if] he's with the Bears. When I say, 'come strong,' that means cash flows are strong, guarantees are strong, the term is strong for him.

Poles continued: "Being ... his age, there's a really good opportunity to go back to the market again and continue to earn money and play well and hopefully that's with the Bears for a long period of time, so I'm excited about that."

Newsweek reached out to the Bears via email and representatives for Johnson via his agency's website on Tuesday afternoon seeking further comment.

It's no surprise that locking up a shut-down corner, fresh off a career-best season, is a top priority in Chicago. Johnson picked off a career-high four passes during the 2023 campaign, earning second-team All-Pro honors and a spot atop the list of Pro Football Focus' highest-graded players at the position. The four-year pro, according to ESPN analyst Matt Bowen, plays a key role in coach Matt Eberflus' defense, is physical in coverage and provides backfield vision in zone looks and an edge-setter on the perimeter.

"I'm so proud of Jaylon, the way he improved and the way he took the challenge to be a 'ball' guy," Eberflus said of Johnson at the combine, via the Chicago Sun-Times.

For all that, Johnson would like to be financially rewarded.

The corner requested permission to seek a new team before last year's Halloween trade deadline when contract talks stalled, though Poles later said he didn't want to lose Johnson and requested gaudy compensation in return, which never materialized. During an appearance on Keyshawn Johnson's All Facts No Breaks podcast in January, Johnson expressed, according to ESPN, a desire to be the highest-paid corner in the league: "That's what I'm aiming for. That's what I'm shooting for. That's what I think can be done and should be done."

Browns cornerback Denzel Ward is currently the highest-paid player at the position in the NFL by total contract value, according to Spotrac, with a $100.5 million deal. Meanwhile, Jaire Alexander of the Packers earns the most in terms of average annual value at $21 million a year. Those seem to be figures Johnson has in mind.

The soon-to-be 25-year-old, whose birthday is in April, can sign with another club once free agency begins on March 13, though with the non-exclusive tag the Bears can match the offer or receive two first-round draft picks as compensation if they choose not to match the deal, Chicago's press release states. That's basically a non-starter for other teams interested. If no terms can be reached between the Bears and Johnson before the negotiation window expires in mid-July, no multi-year extension can be signed until after the season.

Chicago continues its offseason with roughly $56.5 million in cap space (per Over The Cap), the Nos. 1 and 9 selections in April's draft, and now a (partially) secured top-tier cornerback still among its roster. In other words, tagging Johnson was one step, though plenty of other crucial ones remain over the next handful of months.

"Like I've said about those deals—all the time—it takes two to tango and you've got to find a place that everyone feels comfortable with, so I feel really good about that situation," Poles said at the combine of negotiations with Johnson.