Bears’ Johnson on new deal: ‘I want to stay here’

LAKE FOREST, Ill. — Seven weeks after the Chicago Bears and cornerback Jaylon Johnson failed to agree on a contract extension, the pending free agent expressed a desire to sign a new deal with the organization in the offseason.

“I want to stay here,” Johnson said. “I definitely want to get something done [with Chicago] first but at the end of the day, if something doesn’t get done, I’m not opposed to any other options. But I would love to stay here, so that’s that.

“I feel like we’re building something special, too, especially the guys in the locker room. It’s something that I don’t think I can get anywhere else. I would like to stay in that and continue to build, make it better.

The 24-year-old cornerback requested permission to seek a trade after not receiving an extension ahead of the NFL’s trade deadline on Oct. 31. Bears general manager Ryan Poles said he did not want to lose Johnson and requested that the compensation the team would have received had a trade been agreed upon be “a late first and into early second [round draft pick].”

“That didn’t happen,” Poles said last month. “We are still open to getting a contract done. I know we’re going to follow Jaylon’s lead on how he wants to go about doing that but we’re still open.”

Johnson is tied with linebacker Tremaine Edmunds for the team lead in interceptions with four, which is tied with a handful of defenders for the fourth-most this season league wide. Two of his four interceptions came after the trade deadline in wins over Minnesota and Detroit.

The cornerback described his play this season as “very good,” something he believes will help his bargaining position in the offseason.

“I definitely say I’ve added some money to the value, I would say,” Johnson said. “At the end of the day, it’s a situation that I feel like is somewhat out of my hands, but we’re gonna see how it goes.”

Chicago has the option to use the franchise or transition tag on Johnson should the two parties not come to reach a deal in the offseason. The estimated value of the franchise tag for cornerbacks is $18.4 million while the transition tag is $15.9 million, both of which are fully guaranteed one-year contracts.

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