(670 The Score) Throughout his standout season, Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson had been open about his personal goal of earning All-Pro status.
He has achieved that.
Johnson was named a second-team All-Pro by the Associated Press on Friday. He earned the honor after a dominant season in which he had four interceptions in 14 games and consistently shut down half the field for the Bears defense. Johnson was graded as the No. 1 cornerback in the NFL in the 2023 season, according to Pro Football Focus.
The Cowboys’ DaRon Bland and the Jets’ Sauce Gardner were the two cornerbacks who earned first-team All-Pro status. Johnson compiled 61 points and 15 first-place votes. Bland had 98 points and 28 first-place votes, while Gardner had 73 points and 20 first-place votes.
Johnson recently earned Pro Bowl honors for the first time in his four-year career as well.
Johnson is a pending unrestricted free agent, but he has expressed his desire to remain in Chicago and Bears general manager Ryan Poles proclaimed Wednesday that Johnson wouldn’t be leaving the team in free agency this offseason. The sides are expected to re-engage on contract extension talks in the coming weeks.