The Chicago Bears placed four players on the Active/Non-Football Injury list to start training camp on July 19, and one player, two-time Pro Bowler and 2023 Second Team All-Pro cornerback Jaylon Johnson, has been of particular interest.
Johnson is far and away the best player on the list, which saw backup quarterback Case Keenum removed one day after he was added to it.
However, it is his recent comments that have sparked debate among fans and media alike.
Bears CB Jaylon Johnson Sparks Debate With Contract Comments
Jaylon Johnson Remains on Active/NFI List as Bears Open Training Camp
Johnson’s comments, made during an appearance on “The Rich Eisen Show” on July 16, quickly resurfaced following his placement on the list. The Chicago Tribune’s Brad Biggs appeared on 670 The Score on July 21 to clarify that the move was not contract-related.
Johnson missed the Bears’ offseason program, but new head coach Ben Johnson said his absence was “excused.” The defender had a charity event during mandatory minicamp.
Biggs’ comments came amid debates in league circles about why Johnson was absent.
Former Bears scout Greg Gabriel took to X on July 21 to clarify that players going on the NFI lists (there is also a non-active version for the regular season where players do not count toward the roster count) cannot be due to a contract dispute following reports of the like about Johnson.
Pro Football Consulting stated that teams often use the designation when players fail to pass conditioning tests.
Gabriel pushed back, saying those players go on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list.
PFC, a group founded by long-time former NFLPA executives in ex-director of salary cap and agent administration Mark Levin and former staff counsel Todd Flanagan, who boast a “combined 60+ years” of experience, clarified that the NFI list is one of two PUP variations.
The other, the handle noted, is the one most commonly referred to in discussion, and is the “Physically Unable to Perform/Football” version.
NFI is for “Physically Unable to Perform/NonFootball Injury/illness.”
Gabriel, whose experience includes more than three decades as a scout, including nearly a decade as a scouting director, two Super Bowl wins, and two more appearances, urged PFC to “learn the rules” and the difference between NFI and PUP lists, drawing an in-kind response.
Pro Football Consulting agreed that, while it is “indirectly part of the CBA,” it is actually “NFL rules” that prohibit players from going on the NFI or PUP list for failing conditioning tests.
“But teams do it anyway,” the handle posted on X on July 21.
Jayon Johnson Eyeing New Round of Contract Talks
While Johnson was away from the team’s facilities this offseason, he did notably work out with several teammates recently. He was also paying attention to the magnitude of the contracts that many of his peers received since he signed his deal.
Johnson is entering Year 2 of a four-year, $76 million contract. However, there is no guaranteed money on the deal after this season.
That means the Bears can move on and save money.
Per Over The Cap, the Bears would save $16 million with $10 million in dead money. That hit would be spread between the 2026 and 2027 seasons. According to Johnson, he is looking for something to “really keep it long term,” i.e, with the Bears.
“I’m feeling good. I’m out in Vegas. It’s my first full offseason out here in Vegas. Bought a house out here. Moved my family out here. So, it’s going really good. I’m just looking forward to it. And then, too, just really – just seeing a lot of the other corners getting paid. I almost feel like we might have to have another discussion coming up here soon. The market is moving. The market is moving. So, as long as I just keep being myself, keep playing at a high level, definitely going to have to be some more conversations coming up soon to really keep it long term,” Johnson told fill-in host Seth Rollins on the July 16 edition of the show.
“I’m looking forward to that. But definitely happy for what’s going on right now in the NFL and the corner world. So, I’m looking forward to just this season. Continue to prove myself, and that’s what it’s about, really. Just putting good tape out there. So, this whole offseason has been geared towards that.”
Johnson, the No. 50 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, is one of the longest-tenured members of the team and a leader in the Bears locker room.
Jaylon Johnson’s Contract vs. Market Value
Here are some of the most noteworthy deals that were inked since Johnson got his in 2024, which came after a trade request in 2023:
- Taron Johnson (Buffalo Bills): three years, $30 million
- L’Jarius Sneed (Tennessee Titans): four years, $76.4 million
- Tyson Campbell (Jacksonville Jaguars): four years, $76.5 million
- A.J. Terrell (Atlanta Falcons): four years, $81 million
- Pat Surtain II (Denver Broncos): four years, $96 million
- Jalen Ramsey (Miami Dolphins): three years, $72.3 million
Ramsey and Sneed are Super Bowl champions. Surtain is the reigning Defensive Player of the Year. But, perhaps working in Jaylon Johnson’s favor, Campbell, Terrell, and Taron Johnson have never earned Pro Bowl honors.
Terrell and Taron Johnson have both been named Second Team All-Pros.
Terrell’s deal, and its annual average value, in particular, could be a baseline for what Johnson’s camp could seek from the Bears, with Ramsey’s AAV standing as a reasonable ceiling.
That would put Johnson in line for an average contract value of $22.2 million, a raise of $3 million per year. Whether or not that is enough for Johnson, so long as the deal provides him with the security he seeks, is unclear.
The Bears’ pending financial crunch also looms large on any decision with an impact beyond 2025.