Jaylon Johnson's Candid Words Offer New Hope For Contract Extension

Cole Kmet became the first Chicago Bears' 2020 draft class member to get a contract extension. It was well-deserved after his successful season last year, going for 544 yards and seven touchdowns. The debate moving forward was if any of his draft mates might join him. The two most likely candidates are wide receiver Darnell Mooney and cornerback Jaylon Johnson. Mooney's ankle injury last year lowered his odds for the time being. That, along with Johnson signing with a new agent recently, makes it clear he is the more likely of the two.

Even so, it's been difficult to gauge where things sit. GM Ryan Poles has stated he likes Johnson and would prefer to keep him. Retaining homegrown talent is foremost on his agenda. Johnson himself said his primary desire is to stay in Chicago. Still, it comes down to numbers at the end of the day. Nobody knows what the cornerback is looking for in terms of compensation. Most players are always looking to stand among the highest-paid at their position. Johnson wants his money too. That said, he's not delusional. He understands one inescapable reality.

He hasn't produced enough to justify top dollar and said as much during his latest presser.

Jaylon Johnson knows he has two choices on the table.

He can either take an extension that will fall below the highest-paid cornerbacks in the league but would give him long-term security, or he can gamble on himself this season in hopes of having a breakout year, thus gaining massive leverage in negotiations. Spotrac projects his current market value to be around $7.7 million per year. That puts him in the same category as Avonte Maddox in Philadelphia and Taron Johnson in Buffalo. It will probably end up closer to the $8-9 million range.

That isn't a bad payday, but it's nowhere near the top guys in the league who are making $20-21 million. So it is a tough decision. Jaylon Johnson could opt to take a shorter extension, perhaps two or three years. This gives the Bears some stability by keeping him around while also giving him a shot at a bigger contract while he's still in his prime. Much of it comes down to how his new agents approach the matter.