The full NFL Top 100 List has been unveiled, and the biggest surprise was Patrick Mahomes not being named the league’s top-ranked player. Another shocker, however, was Chicago Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson being left off the list entirely.
Johnson blasted the list to reporters over the weekend, and today, we back him up and explain why he should have been included.
Jaylon Johnson Upset After Being Left Off NFL Top 100
After making the Pro Bowl and being named to second-team All-Pro last season, Johnson aired out his frustrations about not making the NFL Top 100 List.
Bears CB Jaylon Johnson on being left off the NFL Top 100 list:
"It's bullshit.. Aaron Rodgers didn't even play last year and he made the list." pic.twitter.com/V53PIborgb
— Dave (@dave_bfr) August 4, 2024
“There ain’t no way, I don’t know how you make Pro Bowl, All-Pro, and not a top 100 guy,” said Johnson. “It’s B——-. Aaron Rodgers didn’t even play in the season, and he was voted. I mean, everybody makes mistakes. It ain’t just the media that do it. The players clearly, if they voted for this, they made some mistakes. It is what it is.”
“At the end of the day, I know the truth, and that’s OK,” Johnson added.
However, Johnson was asked if stuff like this drives him.
“100%, it’s disrespectful,” he said. “I know receivers go out there and can’t say that I’m not one of the best people they played against … Ain’t no way 100 guys [are] better. Especially guys who didn’t play and were hurt”
Why Johnson Should Have Made the List
Perhaps no player should be more upset with their ranking or being left off the NFL Top 100 List entirely than Johnson.
For comparison, while Johnson didn’t make the NFL Top 100 List, he was ranked as the 37th-best player on the PFN’s version.
Perhaps Johnson’s omission from the players’ list was because he hadn’t cemented himself as one of the league’s top cornerbacks until last season. Johnson, however, was arguably the best cornerback in the NFL in 2023.
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Johnson set career bests in completion rate (55.2%), yards per target (4.8), and yards per completion (8.7) last season. The former second-rounder allowed only 195 yards and a 33.3 passer rating as the nearest defender in coverage, both of which paced the league.
Johnson’s lockdown coverage was a big reason why the Bears’ defense emerged as one of the best units in the NFL by the end of last season as well.
According to TruMedia, the Bears’ defense was the sixth-best unit by expected points allowed (EPA) per game in the second half of the season. This improvement came after the Bears were the 26th-ranked defense in EPA allowed per game in the first half of the season, and the league’s worst unit the year prior.
After Johnson’s breakout season, the Bears rewarded him with a four-year, $76 million contract extension, making him the ninth-highest-paid cornerback in the NFL by average annual salary.
Johnson’s new contract further cements his place among the league’s top cornerbacks after an elite 2023 campaign. If Johnson can carry over his success from last season into 2024, then expect him to make the NFL Top 100 next year.
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