Jaylen Johnson finally re-signed with the Chicago Bears in March.
The Bears invited him to Halas Hall to announce the $76 million contract, with $47.8 million guaranteed, the second-highest amount ever given to a defensive back. Johnson was willing, but only if the team commissioned a private jet to fly him and his loved ones from his hometown of Fresno, California.
Johnson was accompanied by nine people during the press conference, including his father John Johnson Sr., mother Carmela Warren Johnson, brother, roommate and coach Johnny Johnson, agent Chris Ellison and girlfriend Janessa McFadden. He walked in wearing a long-sleeved Prada shirt with mother-of-pearl buttons and handmade fringes on the shoulders. The red and black pattern looks like it came from a strange butterfly.
Johnson prepared an opening statement. Then he modified it. “My thought is, you can’t do that without talking about what you’re going through,” he said. “You have to put it all out there.”
He began his press conference by thanking God before suddenly saying: “Last season I was treated for sex addiction.”
No one knew he would say such a thing, not even the people he brought. Few people understand why.
This is not so much a signing as a transformation.
For a while, Johnson was defined by what he didn’t have — interceptions, a new contract and self-control.
In early 2022, the Bears hired a new general manager and head coach. Johnson, a 2020 second-round pick, did not participate in voluntary offseason workouts. When mandatory training began, he was demoted to the second line. He quickly regained the starting job, but some bad feelings lingered, especially as Johnson adjusted to coach Matt Eberflus’ push for a higher-intensity game.
Johnson hasn’t been shy about questioning or challenging authority since rookie camp, and that hasn’t changed over time.
“Obviously, I’m one of the top players on the team, so there should be a sense of respect,” Johnson said. “I shouldn’t have to prove myself in everything. Don’t play with me. We are grown men. I don’t feel valued by the coaching staff.
Takeaways are the No. 1 priority on the Eberflus defense, and considering Johnson has no interceptions and missed six games with injury in 2022, “they’re probably going to question what I can do,” he said.
deeper
Bears rookie Theo Benedet brings athleticism to NFL from Vancouver
Johnson had just one interception in 39 games over his first three seasons in the NFL, but part of his problem may be that he’s so sticky in man-to-man coverage that quarterbacks avoid throwing the ball to him. The player he is guarding. “He has elite speed,” Eberflus said. “He has an elite ability to stay in contact with receivers. And he’s very smart.
The Bears’ faith in him remains in question. Johnson hopes to sign a contract extension this offseason. Despite the talks, the two parties have yet to reach a middle ground. They agreed to take a look at Johnson’s performance early in the season and take another look.
In the spring of 2023, Johnson was baptized. Church has always been a part of his life. Years ago, he got Proverbs 16:3 tattooed on his arm: “Commit your actions to the Lord, and your plans will succeed.”
He did not need to be baptized, but he wanted to be baptized.
“I don’t want to continue to be what I call a lukewarm Christian, reading Bible verses but living a different way,” he said. “I wanted to make a commitment to the world and express my faith outwardly.”
He also needs to reorient himself. He has been unfaithful to his girlfriend Janessa since 2021. And he watched a lot of porn.
Johnson said he lost his virginity at 16 and developed a “more is better” mentality. In high school, he was a four-star recruit. He was an all-conference selection at Utah. For the big shots on campus, things come easy.
“Playing a macho sport attracts girls,” he said. “It wasn’t hard to go to a party, get a number, and have sex. I was lost in the feeling between what I was created to do and what was good for me.
Johnson graduated in two and a half years, and the Bears selected him in the second round in 2020.
“I can have fun and sleep with whoever I want,” he said. “As long as nothing happens, everything will come back to the girl. Things have reached a point where I can’t escape.
He proved it. What he did was no different than many others like him.
He downplayed it. No one was hurt, right?
By the summer of 2023, Johnson was starting to see things more clearly. He doesn’t want his 4-year-old daughter, Zaveah, to be with someone who acts like him. He believed McFadden was special and he didn’t want to lose her. He was ashamed.
deeper
Chicago Bears 2024 schedule: Spotlight often on Caleb Williams early
Finally, he admitted to himself and to McFadden that he had a problem. Throughout the season, he spent an hour or two almost every week in therapy. However, it is a struggle. He has to tear down walls, talk about his childhood and accept blame.
Everything he went through had nothing to do with football.
And everything to do with football.
On a sunny fourth quarter day at Soldier Field, Johnson looked into the eyes of Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Brian Hoyer. Johnson hesitated, waiting for wide receiver Davante Adams to break through. When Hoyer raised his arm, Johnson skipped the route, stepped in front of Adams and made the interception, his first in 28 games. He returned the ball 39 yards for a touchdown and intercepted another pass five plays later.
In October 2023, Jaylen Johnson returned an interception for a touchdown against the Raiders, helping him reach the Pro Bowl. (Todd Rosenberg/Getty Images)
The Bears have reopened negotiations, but remain divided on his value.
“Their offer was very low,” Johnson said. “They compare me to those players, you can’t compare me to those players. One of them is (Minnesota’s) Byron Murphy.
Johnson is frustrated, and not just because of his contract situation. The Bears lost seven of their first nine games after going 3-14 last year.
“We kept losing, losing, losing,” he said. “Then they showed no interest in bringing me back. I wasn’t happy with the culture and the way we were failing, so I asked for a trade.
The Bears declined. Then in late October, with the trade deadline approaching, he asked a second time. Johnson said Chicago allowed his agent, Allison, to purchase Johnson but said they would only accept a first-round pick in return. Allison said seven or eight teams are interested. According to Johnson, the Bills, 49ers, Raiders and Steelers are among them. The Bills and 49ers worked hard to reach an agreement, but ultimately neither was willing to meet the Bears’ demands.
So the trade deadline has passed, contract talks are on hold, and Johnson works to make the Bears realize he’s worth what he believes he is worth.
“I don’t want to talk about it anymore,” he said. “I don’t want to think about it anymore. It is, let’s go play football”.
Johnson finished the season with four interceptions – which cost him two more potential draft picks – 10 passes defended and allowed one touchdown. He was selected as a second-team All-Pro and Pro Bowler and earned Pro Football Focus’ top grade among cornerbacks.
On March 5, Chicago placed the non-exclusive franchise tag on Johnson. Two days later, the two sides reached an agreement on the terms of his four-year contract extension.
deeper
Things still feel different for Bears and Caleb Williams
People say money like his can change lives, but it’s not like he bought a castle on a cliff or a gold chain heavy enough to prevent a hot air balloon from taking off.
Teammates tease him because he still drives a Honda Accord.
“Hey, it’s sporty, clean, all black,” he said. “It gets me to and from where I need to be.”
However, money is a sure thing. The same goes for words.
“Jalen has been everything we wanted him to be with the Bears,” said Eberflus, who plans to use Johnson in new ways this season. “That’s how we describe his love of football, his desire to be a very talented player and his desire to master his craft. He’s a really good teammate. And he’s one of our guys.
Falcons receiver Darnell Mooney, Johnson’s former teammate in Chicago, called Johnson the best cornerback in the NFL. “He always gave me trouble,” Mooney said. “Every time I play against him, I have to focus.”
At just 25 years old, Johnson has become the veteran of the Bears’ secondary and the cornerstone of a young team. Johnson said his relationship with the coaching staff has improved over time. He’s excited to be a Bear and energized by the challenge of fulfilling his contract and earning his next contract, which he’ll have the opportunity to sign before his 30th birthday.
To accommodate his new identity, Johnson has new jersey numbers: 1. After quarterback Justin Fields was traded, Johnson switched from No. 33 back to the number he wore in high school and college. He said he liked the new atmosphere.
Bears cornerback Jaylen Johnson and girlfriend Janessa McFadden are expecting a baby. (Courtesy of Jaylen Johnson)
The treatment had the effect he had hoped for, allowing him to regain control and strengthen his perspective. “I learned that giving up yourself should be sacred to the people you’re going to spend the rest of your life with,” he said. He believes that being public about his addiction might benefit others with similar problems, so he has no regrets.
He has a great relationship with McFadden, a very good relationship. Last month, he proposed. She said yes. He believes her honesty and support are changing him for the better. He loved the way she cared for his daughter. They are expecting a child in September.
He also expects to have more interceptions — at least five this season.
As far as Johnson knows, his previous failed interception wasn’t because he did anything wrong. It’s like his karma is out of whack.
Then 2023 happened.
“Last year he was walking around with a good glow,” said Mooney, who considers Johnson a brother. “He just had some lovely energy every time you were around him.”
Johnson said he didn’t do anything different on the field. “What changed was God gave me the opportunity,” he said.
He thinks he knows why.
“When your mind and spirit reach a certain level, the body takes over and the doors start to open,” he said. “As I was trying to better myself as a man, all of a sudden, the things I hoped for happened.”
(Illustration: John Bradford/ Competitor; Photo: Quinn Harris/Getty Images)
