Like it or not, there’s no escaping the business of sports. And even as the Chicago Bears prepare to open the 2026 NFL season with Super Bowl aspirations, one very important player has major question marks about their future with the franchise that could be illuminated soon.
All-Pro cornerback Jaylon Johnson, who seems to be healthy and ready to roll this year after a groin injury hampered him in 2025, is now in the second half of a four-year, $76 million contract signed back in 2024. That means he’ll be looking for new money soon—potentially the last big payday of his career.
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Fortunately for him—perhaps less so for the Bears—a few elite defensive backs are about to set the terms of engagement for Johnson’s upcoming contract discussions.
Seattle Seahawks cornerback Devon Witherspoon and New England Patriots corner Christian Gonzalez—both of whom came out of the 2023 NFL Draft—are each talking contract extensions with their current teams heading into their fourth NFL seasons, though in different stages. The Seahawks, it seems, are already willing to pay Witherspoon, one of the best all-around players at the position, north of $31 million a year, likely making him the highest-paid corner in the league. At least, that is, until the Patriots match or exceed that mark to retain Gonzalez, one of the best pure cover corners in football.
With Houston’s Derek Stingley and Indianapolis’ Sauce Gardner averaging about $30 million after inking new deals last season, the top of the market is set for top cornerbacks. No doubt, Johnson will want in on that level of compensation.
Though Johnson is older than all of those players, he’s still young enough at age 27 to merit a handsome payday. (Don’t forget that, at a similar age, the Bears inked DJ Moore to a long-term deal—four years, $110 million—to stay in Chicago, though they eventually traded him.) Though he doesn’t quite have the clean health record and complete resume to reset the market, a two-time Pro Bowler and 2024 Second Team All-Pro won’t come cheap.
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If Johnson is able to remain healthy and anchor a defensive secondary that will be instrumental in holding down this year’s your-guess-is-as-good-as-mine defense, the Bears are going to have some intriguing discussions ahead for them.
Because not only is Johnson capable of locking up some of the best receivers in football when he’s operating at full capacity, but he’s also the only sure thing Chicago has at cornerback, with Kyler Gordon constantly battling soft tissue injuries, Tyrique Stevenson struggling with consistency, and rookie fourth-round Malik Mohammad needing experience. It makes sense to get something done with Johnson sooner rather than later, assuming health and everything else pass the vibe check, to avoid the price rising out of reach.
More likely than not, Chicago will let things play out a bit longer with Johnson and see if his body will justify the investment. After all, the Bears also have some major money to shell out in the future to the likes of Caleb Williams and (eventually) Colston Loveland and want to be careful with their spending, which is already bumping up against the cap.
But seeing as how the Bears are placed, it might behoove them to watch what the Seahawks do with Witherspoon and how the Patriots spend on Gonzalez and see if a slightly discounted version might not help them keep arguably their best defensive player around a while longer.
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