Matt Eberflus Met With Jaylon Johnson Privately After Trade Deadline

Jaylon Johnson wasn’t happy. He’d hoped the Chicago Bears would get serious about contract negotiations last month after he played his best stretch of football to date. GM Ryan Poles stated that was the case. He’d expected to continue talking with Johnson’s reps in late October. Then, the cornerback caught him by surprise with a request to be traded. Poles agreed, knowing full well it would take a significant offer to deal the cornerback. That price tag and what Johnson reportedly sought in a contract extension scared interested teams off. The deadline passed with no trade. Johnson wasn’t happy about it.

He genuinely thought he was gone. While he insists there is no animosity with the organization, his decision to cut off contract talks until the end of the year said otherwise. Head coach Matt Eberflus seemed to sense the tension. He felt it was his responsibility to try smoothing things over, reminding Johnson that he was still a critical part of the team and was highly valued. So he arranged a private meeting where they could talk it out. Eberflus explained this on Waddle & Silvy for ESPN 1000.

Eberflus understands the situation with Jaylon Johnson.

It is possible he learned a tough lesson from how things went with Roquan Smith last year. When communication broke down, the team didn’t make a concerted enough effort to get them back. Smith ended up traded to Baltimore. This time, the head coach decided to be proactive in ensuring there was no disrespect involved. Johnson has said he wants to be somewhere he’s wanted and respected. Eberflus did his team a favor by making sure both remain true for the Bears.

The obvious obstacle ahead is the contract. The best way to get Jaylon Johnson on board is to find a number he can be happy with. Rumors suggest he’s looking for somewhere around $18 million per season. With only three interceptions in his career, that number seems high from the Bears’ perspective. Johnson no doubt hopes to improve his leverage by snagging a few more down the stretch. Chicago has plenty of cap space to work something out, but they also have the franchise tag if need be. It will be interesting to see if Eberflus’ gesture keeps the two sides cordial.