Johnson wants secondary to lead Bears to Super Bowl |
LAKE FOREST, I.L. - Last season, cornerback
Jaylon Johnson established himself as one of the best corners in the league. He got a well-deserved contract for four years and $76 million, with over $51 million of that guaranteed.
Chicago’s defense is expected to be one of the best in the league. However, Johnson is sick of expectations and is more concerned with on-the-field performance. “I feel I’ve been on some talented rosters to where we’ve had a lot of upside and I feel like for me, it’s one of those things where I’m tired of just having upside and having potential. I feel like 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. I feel like it’s about action at this point. So, the projections, the energy and enthusiasm all feels good in the beginning,” Johnson said. “We got to go out here. We got to prove it and I think that starts with day one, 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.” Going into his fifth season, Johnson is undeniably one of the leaders on this roster. The Bears’ secondary is a young group featuring cornerback Kyler Gordon, safety Jaquan Brisker and others. So, Johnson needs to set an example as a more experienced veteran and is currently focused on improving his veteran leadership by being more vocal to the entire position group. “I feel like just talking to people in groups and not kind of (individually). I feel like a lot of times, I’ll go and pull a guy aside or I’ll talk to people individually. But, I got to talk to the group more. I got to talk to the team, the unit more than just kind of talking to (cornerback) Tyrique (Stevenson) or more so talking to just (safety) Jaquan (Brisker) in different settings,” Johnson said. “I feel like more so, the group has to hear my voice. So, I feel like that’s something that I’m looking forward to doing, allowing the group to feel my energy, allowing the group to feel where I’m coming from when I’m speaking and seeing things that I see, just being more vocal in a group setting.” Johnson has some individual goals, including increasing his vocal range and being more focused on the group. He wants to continue to be paid like one of the best corners in the league and that requires putting up the numbers to continue to be a Pro-Bowler and to garner his first first-team All-Pro honors. “Personally, I still got a third contract to get. So, I feel like for me, it’s just of course, resetting. But, even then, I feel like I was second-team All-Pro. I feel like for me, I should have been first-team. I feel like you look at the numbers, look at who was first-team, that was definitely something that I could have got. So this year, I definitely want to get first-team. So, I feel like there’s that for me to get,” Johnson said. “There’s winning (the) playoffs, Super Bowl. There’s still a lot to prove. But, these next two, three years for me is my resume for my third contract. So, it (doesn’t) stop because I got my second contract.” Above everything, this fifth-year corner wants to win. Chicago went to the playoffs during his rookie season and that is the last time Johnson has played in the playoff game. Every other player on the defense has not gone to the playoffs for the Bears. However, Johnson’s goal is not just the playoffs, but for this secondary to lead Chicago to the Super Bowl. “We know what we have in our room and we know that, I feel like we can definitely carry the team. I feel like based on what your secondary can do (because) I feel like we impact the game in the run and in the pass and really just with the energy and confidence, I feel like there’s no room that’s more confident than our room,” Johnson said. “There’s no room that is going to bring more energy and juice. There’s no room that I feel like is going to bring a different element to the team than what we can. I feel like that’s going to be something that carries the team, pushes the team to be really special and I feel like every Super Bowl team, every team, they have good secondaries. So, I feel like for us, we want to be that Legion of Boom. We want to be that next era of great secondary that pushed their team to the Super Bowl.”
