Jaylon Johnson: 'I Just Couldn't See Myself Anywhere Else'

Jaylon Johnson realizes he has bet on himself and seems to have won.

The Bears starting cornerback now stands to reap the benefits before March or the Bears could lose him or possibly put a tag on him.

Either way, Johnson said Wednesday at Halas Hall that he knows where he wants to be. He said he would listen to a real offer from the Bears in February and January before free agency starts rather than commit now to the open marketplace.

"I want to stay here," Johnson said. "I definitely want to get something done (here) first. But at the end of the day, if something doesn't get done, then I'm not opposed to any other options.

"But I would love to stay here. So that's that."

Johnson's contract expires but he has come through with four interceptions, matching Tremaine Edmunds for the team high and by far his own personal high. He is graded the best cornerback in the league by Pro Football Focus, both overall and in coverage.

"I definitely say I've added some money to the value," Johnson said. "I would say, at the end of the day, it's a situation that I feel like is somewhat out of my hands, but we're gonna see how it goes."

A new contract will test Bears GM Ryan Poles, who didn't have much success at this when he tried to get a deal for Roquan Smith. The Bears ended up trading Smith.

"I mean it's all I know, honestly," Johnson said. "I just couldn't see myself anywhere else. It's easy to say, oh, you want out of somewhere until you get it and then it's like, 'ah, this may not be quite what I want.' But I would say for me, I want to stay here and I want to not make that transition now."

The reason is what the defense is putting together at this time. They are second in the league in interceptions with 18.

"I feel like we're building something special, too, especially with the guys in the locker room," Johnson said. "I don't think it's something I can get anywhere else.

"I would like to stay and continue to build and make this better, and (expletive), I want to win some games and get to the playoffs and make a push with the Chicago name, too."