Bears' Johnson: Heart's in Chicago, mind's on money
Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson would love to continue his career in Chicago despite some rocky moments between the two sides.
"Heart's definitely in Chicago, mind's definitely on the money," Johnson said at Saturday's Pro Bowl practice, according to NFL.com's Grant Gordon. "So, I mean, we'll figure out if we can make them both come together and get something done. I'm looking forward to see what's to come."
Johnson and the Bears failed to agree to an extension last offseason, which led to the cover man missing the early portion of organized team activities in the summer. The 24-year-old was mentioned in trade rumors before reportedly requesting a move ahead of this year's deadline.
The 6-foot, 196-pound corner played out the season with the Bears, starting in 14 games. Johnson finished the campaign with four interceptions, 10 pass deflections, a forced fumble, and a touchdown.
Johnson believes that production, which led to his first Pro Bowl selection and a second-team All-Pro nod, established himself as one of the NFL's top corners.
"Probably the only thing I have (against me) was not getting turnovers," Johnson said. "But now, this year I started getting some turnovers, creating."
Johnson had just one interception in his previous three seasons. He also had two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery.
Johnson said that he's aiming to be the highest-paid cornerback in the league in January. The Utah product believes there's no reason that can't come to fruition now.
"I feel like I've always been an exceptional cover guy," Johnson said, per Gordon. "So just being able to impact the game and make plays in the air is something I wanted to do, and I went out and did that. And now everybody knows I can take the ball away. So, I feel like there's really not a box I can't check."
Copyright (C) 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.