NEWSLETTER
On the one hand, you can take it as good news that the Chicago Bears did NOT trade cornerback Jaylon Johnson ahead of the NFL’s Trade Deadline. The Bears keeping a good, young player when they could’ve dealt him to help boost the team’s draft capital is objectively good. But on the other hand, Johnson and the Bears could be in for a bumpy road ahead.
CBS Sports NFL insider Josina Anderson shares a Johnson update that sprays to all fields. The bullet points:
Oof. This is something to chew on. There had been some recent optimism regarding extension talks. And I found it encouraging that Johnson and the Bears didn’t close the doors to conversations when it came to a new deal. But that nothing came out of last week’s uptick in buzz, or from the Bears allowing Johnson to seek a trade partner, or the trade deadline as an artificial deadline to reach an extension is disappointing.
We’ve got so much more to unpack when it comes to the Jaylon Johnson conversation. But before I shut the door on this particular conversation, I’ll add this: It is probably a good thing that Johnson is still with the Bears after the trade deadline. Both sides of the negotiation table can use this as a cool-down period, take a lap, and press the reset button before returning to those conversations. I think the Bears did well in not trading Johnson for less than what their asking price was at the deadline. Now comes the hard part: Ironing out an extension. May the Force be with us all.
