Report: Bears CB Jaylon Johnson requests a trade

Chicago Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson has requested a trade, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported on Monday night.

Fowler mentioned in his report that the Bears and Johnson, who is currently in the last year of his rookie contract, negotiated a new contract last week. However, the two sides were unable to come close on an agreement, thus giving the cornerback the opportunity to find a new team through a trade.

Johnson, 24, is in the midst of what could be the best year of his four-year career to date. As of this writing, he has two interceptions and four pass deflections through 6 games. Though both of those picks came in the same game, the weekly consistency has been strong with him, as advanced analytics would indicate.

Chicago has invested at the cornerback position, with young players like Kyler Gordon, Tyrique Stevenson and Terell Smith in the fold. However, given Johnson’s stellar play this year — combined with Stevenson’s rookie struggles and Gordon’s injuries — being so stingy in contract negotiations seems confusing to a degree.

The 2023 NFL trade deadline is Tuesday, Oct. 31 at 3:00 pm CST, meaning the Bears have less than 24 hours to agree on a deal to trade Johnson elsewhere.