Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles used the franchise tag to keep cornerback Jaylon Johnson from free agency, according to multiple reports.
Facing Tuesday’s deadline to sign Johnson to a long-term agreement or use the franchise marker to block his path to free agency, Poles did the expected after negotiations toward a new deal came up short.
If he signs his tender, Johnson would be set to take home $19.8 million for the 2024 season barring a contract agreement with the Bears before the NFL deadline of July 17.
“I think there is really good space for us to find the middle ground. Again, we always have the tag to use, but I really would like to get something done long term,” Poles said at the NFL Scouting Combine.
A second-round pick in 2020, Johnson was the highest-rated cornerback in the NFL by Pro Football Focus in 2023, allowing a passer rating of 33.3 in more than 500 coverage snaps.
Talks that began more than a year ago have not been fruitful.
Chicago’s track record of not setting the market rate at a position even when re-signing its own free agents led to trades in similar situations. When linebacker Roquan Smith demanded $20 million per year, the Bears blinked and traded him to the Baltimore Ravens.
Johnson and the Bears have been at odds since the trade deadline in October, when Poles granted the lockdown cornerback permission to seek a trade. Johnson was hoping for a new deal at the time but said ongoing talks were progressing “slower than expected.”
“At the end of the day, it goes back to respect as well,” Johnson said after the trade deadline passed last season. “You can throw some numbers at someone and hope they take anything. That’s not what I’m looking to do. I’m looking for respect and security.”
–Field Level Media