Bears place franchise tag on cornerback Johnson

CHICAGO — The Chicago Bears placed the nonexclusive franchise tag on cornerback Jaylon Johnson on Tuesday, the team announced.

This was the expected outcome after the Bears and Johnson did not reach an agreement on a long-term deal prior to Tuesday’s 4 p.m. ET deadline. Last week at the NFL combine, general manager Ryan Poles said that he had hoped to avoid using the franchise tag on the 24-year-old cornerback and believes there is “really good space for us to find the middle ground.”

Poles said that conversations with Johnson’s representation were going “well” and expressed confidence in the offer that had been extended to the cornerback.

“We feel like we’ve done a really good job coming to the table strong and showing the respect that he’s due just in terms of his production through his career and really an emphasis on the turnovers he created this past year,” Poles said. “Our expectation is that’s going to continue to go as he’s with the Bears.

“When I say come strong, that means cash flows are strong, guarantees are strong, the term is strong for him; being with his age, there’s a really good opportunity to go back to the market again and continue to earn money and play well and hopefully that’s with the Bears for a long period of time, so I’m excited about that.”

The franchise tag will guarantee Johnson a $19.8 million salary for 2024. This is the first time the Bears have used the franchise tag since 2021, when Chicago’s previous front office tagged wide receiver Allen Robinson.

Nonexclusive franchise tags allow players to engage in negotiations with other teams, but the player’s original team retains the right to match any competing offer or is entitled to two first-round picks if a player joins a new team.

Johnson, who turns 25 on April 19, was named second-team All-Pro and earned Pro Bowl honors in his fourth season where he produced a career-high 4 interceptions (including a pick-six), 10 passes defended, 1 forced fumble and 36 tackles.

The cornerback, who was selected by the Bears with the 50th pick in 2020, played out the fourth year of his rookie contract after not being able to strike an extension with Chicago before the 2023 season.

In July 2023, Johnson said he understood that his lack of on-field accolades (having one interception over his first three seasons) made it challenging for him to command a deal at the top of the market. After Dallas Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs signed a five-year, $97 million extension in training camp, Johnson noted that the deal was beneficial to the entire defensive back market but did not believe it would affect his negotiations with Chicago.

Johnson’s tone shifted as he ascended to top cornerback status throughout the 2023 season. Ahead of the trade deadline in November, Chicago was confident that it would get an extension done with Johnson. Once negotiations fell through, Johnson requested a trade that did not come.

Poles later said that the team would have needed “a late first and [into-early-second-round draft pick]” in exchange for Johnson to pull off a trade.

Despite being unable to come to an agreement on an extension at multiple points over the last year, Johnson and the Bears said they remained committed to working out a deal.

In an appearance on Keyshawn Johnson’s “All Facts No Breaks” podcast in January, Johnson expressed the leverage he believes he’s earned: “I feel like there’s no reason why I can’t be the highest-paid corner in the league. That’s what I’m aiming for. That’s what I’m shooting for. That’s what I think can be done and should be done.”