New Footage Shows Jaylon Johnson Is A Master Self-Motivator

Getting into the mind of a professional athlete is never easy. Most of them prefer to keep the media at arm's length. They don't want to reveal too much of their personality to the masses. That is normal. While they might play a highly-televised game, it doesn't mean they lack a desire for privacy. Jaylon Johnson is no different. The Chicago Bears cornerback isn't afraid to do interviews, but he doesn't come across as overly vocal. He is most interested in doing his job and being the best possible player he can be.

As it turns out, Johnson talks way more than you think. We got an inside look at this during the game against Green Bay last week. The cornerback was talking throughout the contest. He'd chirp at Packers players in between plays and never wasted an opportunity to hype up his teammates. However, the most enlightening moments came before kickoff. Cameras followed him during warmups, and it was amazing how much the cornerback talked to himself, constantly saying motivational things that got him pumped up. It was a window into how he thinks.

Jaylon Johnson is positioning himself for a contract extension.

The young cornerback may not be overly productive on the stat sheet, but there is no denying he's the best cornerback the Bears have. It's not even close, to be honest. GM Ryan Poles has said he wants to develop and extend homegrown talent. He tried to do that with Roquan Smith, but the linebacker's demands made it impossible. Securing Johnson would be a nice victory for this new regime. It would give the defense some much-needed long-term stability in this early rebuild.

Where it gets interesting is the money. Cornerbacks are expensive. Jaylon Johnson will obviously want to land the biggest deal possible. He has some decent leverage in some aspects. At the same time, his lack of production or Pro Bowl nods will limit how high he can go. It will be interesting to see how stubborn he is about this. Having an agent, unlike Smith, might make the process smoother. Either way, one hopes he sticks around. He's proving to be a good player.