Though any hopes of the Pittsburgh Steelers somehow angling for CB Jaylon Johnson were already faint, those dreams are completely in ash now. For now and for the future. According to Bleacher Report’s Jordan Schultz, the Bears have signed Johnson to a long-term deal. The terms? Four years for $76 million with $54.4 million guaranteed.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler offered another detail on the deal’s specifics, noting that Johnson is guaranteed $28 million at signing.
Johnson will be a Bear for the long haul. It’s a goal GM Ryan Poles made clear throughout the offseason process and the team used its franchise tag on Johnson prior to Tuesday’s deadline, buying more time to hammer out an extension.
Pittsburgh reportedly had interest in Johnson at least year’s trade deadline. Despite Johnson seemingly destined to be dealt, the Bears held onto him. Now, they work out a long-term deal. This contract helps set the top of the cornerback market ahead of free agency, Johnson coming in at an average yearly value of $19 million. This deal makes him a top-10 paid corner in football. A second-round pick in 2020, he broke out in 2023 with four interceptions after picking off only one pass his first three years in the league.
The Steelers could be in the cornerback market once the new league year starts on Wednesday with the official tampering period starting Monday at noon/EST. The top name available is expected to be Washington’s Kendall Fuller. The other franchise-tagged corner is Kanas City’s L’Jarius Sneed. Given Johnson’s deal, Sneed will probably aim to beat that mark. It’s also a strong draft class at cornerback and Pittsburgh could turn there for a long-term option. Clemson’s Nate Wiggins, Toledo’s Quinyon Mitchell, and Alabama’s Kool-Aid McKinstry are all possibilities though it’s doubtful all three will be available when the Steelers are on the clock at pick No. 20.
Other cornerback options Pittsburgh could pursue in free agency include the Tennessee Titans’ Sean Murphy-Bunting, the New Orleans’ Saints Isaac Yiadom, and Cincinnati Bengals’ Chidobe Awuzie.
