What makes Jaylon Johnson a Pro Bowl cornerback is the relentless nature in which he approaches each matchup. He demands the top wide receiver from each opponent with the surefire belief he will shut him down. 

What makes Johnson a beloved fixture in the Bears’ locker room is the authentic way he carries himself. His goal as a football player is to represent not only himself but his young daughter back home in Fresno, and those closest to him. 

Last June when Johnson skipped out on the Bears’ voluntary offseason program, there was a thought that he was preparing to hold out for a new contract. Instead, he was keeping his priorities in line.

“I’m a dad before I’m anything else,” Johnson said. “Before I’m a football player, before I’m anything. I’m a dad first. I don’t get to spend too much time with her during the season because she’s back at home in California. Me in the offseason, I take pride in being a dad. I’m not just any old type of dad that just comes and sees their kid. I’m present. I’m spending time. I’m putting my heart into my daughter.”

Johnson wasn’t looking to reset the market for cornerbacks with his next contract, nor did he intend to leave the Bears if everything fell into place. What he wanted all along was financial security for himself and his daughter.

Johnson went out and earned it, reaching a four-year, $76-million contract extension with the Bears on Thursday, multiple sources said. The team has since officially announced the agreement.

The Bears and Johnson reached this agreement after months of negotiations that proved to be complex, namely as Johnson himself produced a breakthrough season. He hauled in a career-best 4 interceptions and was rated by Pro Football Focus as the No. 1 cornerback in the NFL last season. Johnson was selected to the Pro Bowl for the first time in his career and was named second-team All-Pro by the Associated Press.

But while Johnson increased his market value, the Bears were thrilled to reward a player betting on himself. General manager Ryan Poles – who inherited Johnson from the previous regime – found a blue-chip player and cornerstone for this defense.

“We feel like we’ve done a really good job coming to the table strong and showing the respect that he’s due,” Poles said last week at the NFL Combine. “Just in terms of his production through his career and really an emphasis on the turnovers he created this past year. Our expectation is that’s going to continue to go as he’s with the Bears. 

“When I say come strong, that means cash flows are strong, guarantees are strong, the term is strong for him. Being with his age, there’s a really good opportunity to go back to the market again and continue to earn money and play well and hopefully that’s with the Bears for a long period of time. So, I’m excited about that.”

Johnson’s contract reflects Poles’ words. The deal includes $54 million guaranteed and $60 million paid out in the first three seasons. Johnson is eligible to hit the open market again at age 28 – still a player in his prime.

But the Bears can hope to find Johnson staying at this top level throughout the four years of this contract. For Johnson, the goal all along was to stay put in Chicago.

“I just couldn’t see myself anywhere else,” Johnson said. “It’s easy to say, oh, you want out of somewhere until you get it and then it’s like, ‘Ah, this may not be quite what I want.’ But I would say for me, I want to stay here, and I want to not make that transition now. I feel like we’re building something special too, especially with the guys in the locker room. I mean, it’s something I can’t get anywhere else. I would like to stay and continue to build, make it better. And (shoot), I want to win some games and get to the playoffs and make a push with the Chicago name too.”

Free agency primer

Great teams in the NFL are built through the draft but supplemented in free agency. That is the goal for the Bears as they seek to emerge as a championship contender.

The Bears are flush in salary cap space and boast the capabilities to spend on some of the top players available in a deep free-agent class. But sources familiar have cautioned that Poles won’t be one to break the bank on a particular player – instead trusting his team’s scouting reports and prioritizing the right price points.

The Bears enter free agency with four key positions of need and opportunities to address each one.

1A. Edge rusher

After making the bold move for Montez Sweat last season, the Bears now must identify the right player to rush across from him.

“We got to make sure that we have somebody opposite of Sweat,” Bears head coach Matt Eberflus said. “We can never have enough of those guys because they affect the game the most.”

This free-agent class is deep in pass rushers and the Bears are expected to be active in signing a proven name, sources have said. 

Danielle Hunter, Bryce Huff and Jonathan Greenard are three names that could be on the Bears’ radar when teams are permitted to open contract negotiations next Monday at 11 a.m. CT. Hunter, Huff and Greenard each finished last season with double-digit sack totals.

The Bears saw Sweat step up as a Pro Bowl presence for their defense late last season, though they were lacking with pass rushers otherwise. Yannick Ngakoue had a career-low 4 sacks before suffering a season-ending injury. DeMarcus Walker had 3.5 sacks while working primarily in a reserve role once Sweat arrived.

1B. Wide receiver

The Bears have one of the top wide receivers in the NFL with DJ Moore, who had 96 receptions for 1,364 yards and 8 touchdowns in his first season playing in Chicago.

But the Bears simply must add to their wide receiver depth chart, bringing in both a strong complement for Moore and also veteran targets who can help a potential rookie quarterback entering the fold. Chicago’s three other wide receivers currently under contract are Tyler Scott, Velus Jones Jr. and Nsimba Webster. 

“We don’t have a lot of depth there,” Eberflus said. “That’s the first part. Adding some dynamic pieces there through free agency or through the draft potentially, so to me when you’re trying to defend that, when you have a weapon at tight end and you have a weapon at the X receiver like DJ. When you add a piece or two to the other side, it really balances you out. It’s hard to defend for sure.”

While the Bears are more likely to land a premier No. 2 wide receiver in the NFL Draft – the No. 9 overall pick could very well bring in a target for presumptive No. 1 pick Caleb Williams – the open market includes veterans like Gabe Davis, Tyler Boyd and Odell Beckham Jr. who could bring stability to Chicago’s receiving core.

3. Defensive tackle

The Bears beefed up their defensive line over the course of two offseasons led by Poles. But this unit is still missing its dominant 3-technique defensive tackle.

Eberflus has referred to that position as the engine that drives his defensive identity. This offseason could finally bring in that player. Superstar defensive tackle Chris Jones is the top player available at this position, and the best player on the open market. But his market value could be too much for the Bears’ desire.

Instead, the Bears could turn to former Dolphins defensive tackle Christian Wilkins, who was surprisingly allowed to walk into the open market this offseason. Wilkins is just 28 years old and produced a career-high 9 sacks and 58 pressures. 

The Bears will also find strong options in Leonard Williams, D.J. Reader, Grover Stewart and Sheldon Rankins, veteran players who could anchor this defensive front.

4. Safety

Suddenly, this free-agent class is ripe with options at safety. After releasing Eddie Jackson last month in a cap-clearing move, the Bears will find some intriguing players to replace him.

The list of top safeties available includes Justin Simmons, Jordan Poyer, Jamal Adams, Kevin Byard and Quandre Diggs. Each of those players has been a Pro Bowler during their careers, with 11 combined overall.

Simmons, 30, is the best of this bunch after producing another Pro Bowl season and earning second-team All-Pro honors for the fourth time. But he was left as a salary cap release by the Broncos, who had to offset $85 million in dead money for former quarterback Russell Wilson.

The Bears will likely prefer a veteran safety to play alongside third-year starter Jaquan Brisker, though they may be inclined to look for another developmental player late in the draft.

Trade for Bates

Two years ago, the Bears presented a four-year offer sheet to Bills restricted free-agent offensive lineman Ryan Bates. Their hopes to sign him were dashed as Buffalo exercised its right to match the offer and sign him back.

The Bears got their guy in Bates with a trade agreement reached Monday night, sending a fifth-round pick back to the Bills in return. The deal will become official next Wednesday at 3 p.m. CT with the start of the NFL’s league new year.

Bates, 27, has primarily served as a backup with the Bills, starting in just 19 games over five seasons. But his versatility was valued in Buffalo, which is why it matched Chicago’s offer sheet. Bates may have joined the long list of Bills players released this week in salary-clearing moves had the Bears not emerged with their interest.

It’s unclear how the Bears plan to utilize Bates this season, and that won’t be known until completion of free agency and the draft. But Bates is capable of stepping in as Chicago’s new starting center and offers veteran security at guard behind starters Teven Jenkins and Nate Davis, who missed a combined 12 starts last season.

The Bears were willing to part with a fifth-round pick because of the belief that this draft class is not particularly deep in late-round options. Teams will be taking flyers rather than finding prospects falling to them, so Poles instead sought certainty in a player like Bates.

After trading Bates, the Bears have five draft picks for 2023: 1st Round, 1st Pick (from Panthers); 1st Round, 9th Pick; 3rd Round, 75th pick; 4th Round, Pick TBA; 4th Round, Pick TBA (from Eagles). That is of course subject to change.

Restructure at Halas

Bears president/CEO Kevin Warren is putting his stamp on the franchise’s front office with some key changes taking place.

The Bears have promoted three individuals into executive roles this week: Karen Murphy, the new executive vice president of stadium development & chief operating officer; Corey Ruff, the new senior vice president of strategy and analytics & chief of staff; and Meka White Morris, the new executive vice president of revenue & chief business officer. All three positions did not previously exist.

These three new appointments are part of a larger restructuring taking place led by Warren, who is nearly 11 months into his role. After spending much of 2023 gathering intel on operations at Halas Hall, Warren is now moving on hires and anticipated dismissals.

“When I joined the Chicago Bears in April of 2023, I had a primary focus on fortifying our front-office leadership team and cultivating a culture of exception talent, diversity, innovation and hard work,” Warren said.

Warren conducted interviews last year with each member of the Bears organization, holding those meetings in alphabetical order. The goal was to assess this franchise as a whole before implementing his own vision.