Jaylonas Johnsonas pasirašė naują susitarimą kaip lokių vidurinės mokyklos lyderis

Jaylon Johnson skipped the Bears’ from round of organized team activities last week. Big deal, right?

We’ll find out in a couple months.

The leader of the Bears’ secondary wasn’t required to attend what was essentially a rookie mini-camp. But it wouldn’t have hurt for him to spend as much time as possible around his teammates, especially since General Manager Ryan Poles used a second-round pick to add University of Miami cornerback Tyrique Stevenson, who may step into a starting spot opposite Johnson, who is heading into his fourth year as a starter.

Johnson is moving into the final season of his rookie contract, and as a second-round pick out of the University of Utah in the 2020 draft isn’t a consideration for a fifth-year option. He would hit the free-agent market after this season if the Bears don’t extend his contract or use a franchise tag to keep him.

It’s essentially the same position Chicago was in with linebacker Roquan Smith at this time a year, and Poles would trade him to Baltimore in mid-season. But Smith was vocal about the belief he deserved a top-of-the-market contract and Johnson doesn’t appear to have as much leverage as did Smith. He had finished in the top 10 in tackles three times and was playing 2022 under the fifth-year option.

Johnson has been sidelined by injuries at some point in all three of his seasons, averaging only 13 games. He’s well regarded by teammates and evaluators but was ranked only 67th of 118 qualified cornerbacks by Pro Football Focus last season, with a coverage grade that ranked 56th.

If the Bears don’t sign Johnson to a contract extension, his status could become a distraction when training camp arrives. He is due to earn $2.99 million with a cap hit of $3.56 million next season but carries a market value of almost $8 million per season into his next negotiations, per Spotrac.

The website lists Johnson’s value at $23.3 million over three seasons. It reached that average by comparing him to four cornerbacks who signed long-term deals between ages 24-26 (San Francisco’s Charvarius Ward, Buffalo’s Taron Johnson, San Francisco’s Emmanuel Moseley and Dallas’ Jourdan Lewis).

Poles has focused on the secondary in his two drafts as general manager, using second-round picks on Kyler Gordon, Jaquan Brisker and Stevenson. He also added cornerback Terell Smith, safety Elijah Hicks and safety Kendall Williamson in later rounds.

The Bears are well positioned to consider contract extensions for veterans they prioritize. Spotrac shows them about $32.4 million under the cap, the most cap room in the league. But Poles knows he will face hard decisions in the future with quarterback Justin Fields only one season away from what could be the biggest contract in club history.