The Chicago Bears have made it clear over the last several years that Jaylon Johnson is a cornerstone of their defense. A second-round pick in the 2020 draft, Johnson was one of the few holdovers from the Ryan Pace regime and became Chicago’s top corner in just a few years. In 2024, the Bears rewarded Johnson for his performance with a four-year, $76 million contract extension, but his 2025 performance left a lot to be desired, and plenty of money owed to him moving forward.
Injuries and uneven performances plagued Johnson throughout his sixth season in Chicago. While he remains an important part of the team, questions remain about his long-term future that will need to be sorted out during the upcoming season.
Bears Taking Big Risk Counting on Jaylon Johnson to Rebound
The biggest question with Johnson is his health. His injury issues began before training camp when he tore an adductor muscle during an offseason workout. The injury sidelined him throughout the preseason, and he didn’t make his return until a Week 2 matchup with the Detroit Lions. Unfortunately, Johnson’s return didn’t last long as he left in the first half and ultimately underwent core muscle surgery. When he returned, he was in a rotation to ease him back to the field and wound up playing the rest of the year. But his performance wasn’t to the same standard he established throughout his career.
According to Pro Football Focus, Johnson allowed 16 catches for 298 yards with an interception and 4 pass breakups. While the numbers look fine, his grades were a red flag, posting his lowest overall grade (58.7) since his rookie season (54.9) and failing to post a grade over 60 in run defense (51.2) and tackling.
While Johnson didn’t allow big plays, he wasn’t able to limit them with a 17.9 percent missed-tackle rate. It was also the fifth season in which Johnson failed to play over 1,000 defensive snaps, creating a long-term durability issue.
This would have been the perfect time for the Bears to add insurance. Instead, they seemed to have doubled down on Johnson. Nahshon Wright cashed in on his career year by signing with the New York Jets, but the rest of the corners look shaky with Kyler Gordon dealing with an injury-plagued season of his own and Tyrique Stevenson being benched late in the year.
Even if the Bears added a corner in this month’s draft or in the next wave of free agency, it’s unlikely to affect Johnson’s standing with the team. According to Over The Cap, the Bears can get out of Johnson’s contract with $9 million in dead money and $16 million in cap savings after this season, but he can make that a moot point with a rebound year.
Johnson’s play hasn’t deteriorated to the point where his exit is a certainty. However, entering his age-27 season, some big questions could play a key role in determining his future and whether the Bears can take the next step in 2026.