After earning a lucrative contract and plenty of respect, Jaylon Johnson is still motivated to prove he's 'the best corner in the league'

LAKE FOREST, Ill. (670 The Score) — A year ago, Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson understood all that was on the line for him.

Johnson was entering a contract year having failed to earn the type of personal security he was seeking. He had just one interception to his name over his first NFL three seasons and wasn’t regarded as one of the top cornerbacks in the league. At the same time, Johnson was also dealing with personal struggles off the field and hoping to find inner peace .

Sure enough, Johnson enjoyed the type of breakthrough he had long coveted. He earned Pro Bowl recognition as part of a career-best season in 2023 and then signed a four-year, $76-million contract extension with the Bears in March.

Johnson now heads into this new season with personal comfort and clarity, but his deep drive remains the same. His goal is fairly straightforward.

“Being the best corner in the league,” Johnson said.

The 25-year-old Johnson earned that type of respect last season as he hauled in four interceptions and was rated by Pro Football Focus as the No. 1 cornerback in the game. Even so, he isn’t going to be complacent moving forward.

Johnson’s success in 2023 could be traced to his dedication and hard work toward achieving his goals, and he doesn't plan to change now.

"Discipline and daily work habits,” Bears head coach Matt Eberflus said. “That's what he has done, and he showed that he had an area he needed to work on, and he got better at it. So, he showed determination and then he really showed his devotion and love for the game.”

Last spring, Johnson was candid in expressing his understanding about needing to prove more to earn a contract extension. He was also quite open about his pursuit of that long-term security. Johnson wanted to earn a lucrative contract to provide for his family.

After returning an interception for a touchdown against the Raiders last October, Johnson counted money in the air for the television broadcast to see. Along the way, his Bears teammates stumped for him to land a contract extension while motivating him toward achieving success.

The Bears were thrilled for Johnson when he signed his new deal in March.

“He's going to bring the success here and keep going,” Bears nickelback Kyler Gordon said. “We're going to keep surrounding him and pushing him to keep doing what he does and stuff like that. I mean, all you can do when you see a guy get success and do his thing is just keep challenging him. We want to be the best, so on our side of the defense we're going to keep challenging him and pushing him, talking, getting in his ear, whatever going to make him better.”

At his press conference to address his new contract extension, Johnson made a deeply personal revelation that he sought therapy for a sex addiction . It was an admission he didn’t need to offer publicly, but he felt it was important to do so to be authentic to those around him.

While Johnson is maintaining the same drive to be great on the field, life is certainly different for him now. He has found the security he long coveted and is eager to embrace whatever comes next.

“To me, life never stops being life,” Johnson said. “There's new challenges, new things to go on. I mean, I just got engaged, have a baby on the way. So, I got plenty more obstacles that still keep a little pressure on my shoulders. But at the end of the day, I feel like God gives me the strength to overcome any obstacle that I have. Anything that comes in my life, I feel like I have full strength and endurance to be able to get through it.

“I'm ready for it. I don't know what's to come and whatever it is, I know I'll be good for it."

Injury report
Bears left tackle Braxton Jones and tight end Cole Kmet were each sidelined from practice Wednesday due to undisclosed injuries, but both sat out for precautionary reasons, Eberflus said, and neither player is in jeopardy of missing significant time.

Pro Bowl pass rusher Montez Sweat and right guard Nate Davis continue to work in a "ramp-up" phase after missing parts of OTAs in May. Eberflus sees each player in a good place heading into training camp in July.

The Bears will conclude their veteran minicamp with a practice Thursday morning at Halas Hall.

Chris Emma covers the Bears, Chicago’s sports scene and more for 670TheScore.com. Follow him on Twitter @CEmma670 .