These words may offend some people, particularly Bears supporters, but at the very least, Johnson is being open about his intentions for free agency later this year.
He understands that this could be his only chance to land a rich, multi-year contract in the NFL, so he’s going to try to cash in.
Johnson was taken in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft by the Bears, and he has started 53 games over the last four seasons.
During the 2023 season, the 6-foot, 196-pound cornerback recorded 36 tackles (one for a loss), 10 pass breakups, four interceptions, and one forced fumble.
Obviously, Chicago would prefer him to stay, and they should be able to afford him given that they are expected to have more than $46 million in cap space this offseason.
The question is, how important is it for the Bears to keep Johnson on the roster this season?
In this post-all-star bowl scenario, the Bears would trade down to No. 2 in Round 1 and receive a number of picks from the Washington Commanders. This meant Justin Fields would stay at quarterback, and they’d choose the best player available at Nos. 2 and 9 to see what else the trade down brought them.
To do so, I went to the Pro Football Focus simulator, and they refused to accept a trade for the Commanders’ first-round pick and first second-round pick, only the second pick in Round 2 at No. 40, which the Bears exchanged for Montez Sweat and the first-round pick. And that was it; there were no other options for dealing away the draft’s top choice.
It’s time to become a little more practical. That pick will be more valuable than this, especially given the connection between the potential Washington OC and Williams.
You are not protecting your grandmother’s retirement funds; this is a ridiculous simulator. What’s wrong with coughing up some picks? So there are other websites.
I had a little more success with the NFL Mock Draft Database simulator. Just a bit. The transaction involved only the second and 36th picks in Round 1. So that wasn’t the haul I had hoped for, but at this point, all I wanted to do was run the silly mock draft. So the mock draft began, and the Commanders selected Drake Maye as their first pick.
