Jaylon Johnson wants to move into a new house.
According to sources, the cornerback has been granted clearance by the Chicago Bears to pursue a trade before Tuesday’s trade deadline, as reported by NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport.
After days of negotiations, Johnson’s agent, Chris Ellison, obtained approval at midnight to play out the last year of his rookie contract, Rapoport continued.
The announcement is made on the day of the 4 p.m. ET NFL trading deadline. According to Rapoport, Chicago has already made a significant acquisition when they acquired defensive end Montez Sweat from the Washington Commanders for a second-round pick.
In six games, the 24-year-old has racked up 18 tackles, four passes defensed, a forced fumble, and two interceptions—one of which he ran for a touchdown against the Raiders in Week 7.
He’s up from his career highs of 64.2 and 65.2 to the greatest defensive PFF grade (84.4) and coverage grade (85.6) of his career.
Despite his earlier October claims that he intended to remain in Chicago, Johnson acknowledged that anything can happen and said, after recording his first career pick-six, that he should be compensated for his improved play.
Johnson’s performance this season will make it enticing for a contender in need of a CB to step up and pay him a premium. Getting something in return might also make sense for the 2–6 Bears if prior conversations with Johnson indicate they might lose him come March.
Johnson’s cards are on the table, so it will be interesting to see if he wears a different outfit on Sunday.