After claiming his first All-Pro nod and getting his massive contract extension, it appears reality has set in for Jaylon Johnson. He is no longer the young guy just following the lead of more established veterans. He is the established veteran, and that comes with new responsibilities. Stars are expected to be the leaders of their teams. Johnson has never really come across as that kind of voice in the locker room over the past few years. It appears the 25-year-old has decided to change that.
Like everybody else, Johnson has heard the noise around the Bears throughout the off-season. He hears the heightened expectations and excitement. That doesn’t mean he accepts it. He doesn’t care what others are saying about the Bears. His only goal is for this team to finally do something it hasn’t done throughout his entire time there: win. Johnson responded passionately to questions about the team’s potential at his training camp press conference.
“I feel like I’ve been on some talented rosters to where we’ve had a lot of upside. I feel like for me it’s one of those things where I’m tired of just having upside and having potential. I want to be in a position where we actually go out there and we are that and not just what we’re projected to be at.
It’s about action at this point, so the projections, the energy, the enthusiasm all feels good in the beginning because everybody, every team, every fan [says], ‘Oh this is our year, this is our year,’ so I’m not on that type of time as far as, ‘Oh yeah, this is our year. Nah, we got to go out here and we got to prove it and I think that starts with Day 1, starts with today. But that’s something that’s going to carry on from now until the end of the season whenever that is, if that’s playoffs or not.”
Remember, the cornerback has never been on a roster that produced a winning record since arriving in 2020. The closest he came was his rookie years when the Bears finished 8-8. Last year was his best chance to get over the hump finally. After a brutal 0-4 start, the team rallied over the final 13 games to finish 7-10. What made it so frustrating is the Bears should’ve been 9-8 if not for some ugly 4th quarter collapses in Detroit and Cleveland. Johnson’s frustration likely stems from that. Chicago should’ve won those games.
This time around, he’s not taking any chances. Those comments made it clear that there would be no settling for modest improvement. This Bears team is good enough to win now. That means taking on the NFC’s best and claiming the division title. Jaylon Johnson wants everybody in that locker room to know the standard is raised. Anybody not pulling their weight won’t have to wait long to hear about it. He’s waited long enough. Johnson achieved his individual success. Now, it is about chasing that ring.
