Jaylon Johnson just accomplished a major goal of his for the 2023 NFL season. On Friday, the NFL announced that Johnson was named a Second-Team All-Pro cornerback in recognition of his career year at the position.
The All-Pro nod is one of the biggest honors in the NFL, as it recognizes the best players at each position across the entire league. Over the course of last season, Johnson revealed it was one of his biggest goals as he looks for his next contract.
Johnson deserves the honor for the jump he took in 2023. Johnson has long been recognized as one of the best coverage corners in the league, but previous to last season he did not have takeaway production to match. That changed in 2023, when Johnson intercepted four passes and forced one fumble. Johnson returned one of those interceptions for a touchdown, too.
The Bears have made it clear they intend to retain the star cornerback on the roster next season.
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“Jaylon’s not going to go anywhere and we’ll work through it to get something done,” said GM Ryan Poles in his end-of-season press conference on Wednesday.
Poles has two notable options to make sure Johnson stays in Chicago in 2024. First, he could offer Johnson a new contract, since Johnson’s rookie contract expires when the new league year begins in March. Poles could also use the franchise tag to keep Johnson under team control for one more year. According to OverTheCap projections, Johnson would earn $18,410,000 on the franchise tag.
In addition to the All-Pro honors, Johnson was named a Pro Bowler.
