When Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson met with the Chicago media Wednesday, he admitted he was surprised to still be with the team after being granted permission to seek a trade ahead of Tuesday’s trade deadline.
“Oh, yeah,” he said. “For sure.”
Johnson’s trade request was prompted by the state of the current contract negotiations, where both sides failed to find common ground on an extension.
Johnson reiterated he would like to remain in Chicago for the long term, but with contract negotiations stalled last weekend, he wanted to explore his options.
“There’s a different between talking and trying to work things out versus getting things done,” Johnson said. “Up until this weekend, nothing was done and I wanted some different opportunities.”
Johnson said when he and his agent were seeking a trade, there was a sense of a gap between what he could get on the open market versus what general manager Ryan Poles was willing to pay.
“I mean, arguably I feel like I’m the best corner in the game right now,” Johnson said. “… I’m not asking to just change the market or break records. I’m not asking for any of that. But I’m also not just going to take anything.”
Johnson said he isn’t interested in resuming contract negotiations for the duration of the 2023 season, although he didn’t rule it out either. But he’s focused on the task at hand.
“I mean, not really too focused on it right now,” Johnson said. “Just want to continue to stack the season. Continue to build my resume best I can and I have some personal goals that I want to achieve and then from there we’ll figure that out when that time comes. That’s not what I’m interested in right now. I’m trying to win.”
