NFC Notes: Jaylon Johnson, Taylor Decker, Bears, Lions, Vikings

Bears

Bears CB Jaylon Johnson said he’s tired of being on a team with “potential” and wants to be on a contending roster.

“I feel like I’ve been on some talented rosters to where we’ve had a lot of upside,” Johnson said, via ESPN. “I feel like for me it’s one of those things where I’m tired of just having upside and having potential. 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 at.”

Johnson is tired of buying into potential and said that the team needs to start building towards a championship roster from the opening day of training camp.

“It’s about action at this point, so the projections, the energy, the enthusiasm all feels good in the beginning because everybody, every team, every fan [says], ‘Oh this is our year, this is our year,’ so I’m not on that type of time as far as, ‘Oh yeah, this is our year,‘” Johnson said. “Nah, we got to go out here and we got to prove it and I think that starts with Day 1, 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.”

Lions

Lions LT Taylor Decker said he’s hopeful about receiving a contract extension with the team, but hasn’t heard anything of substance yet.

“I think, I’m hoping to hear fairly soon, but as far as like anything of numbers, substance, I haven’t had too much,” Decker said, via PFT. “I will say, it’s something that I am hopeful of, I mean, I’ve even gone up and I had some conversations with Dan [Campbell] during OTAs just to talk to him about it. I feel good about the messaging. I know what the timeline looks like, but as far as anything of substance, not really.”

Vikings

In an eventful offseason that saw veteran QB Kirk Cousins depart in free agency, Minnesota added first-round QB J.J. McCarthy in the draft to fill the void at the position. Vikings TE T.J. Hockenson discussed how impressed he’s been with McCarthy in all aspects of the game through their first offseason program together. 

“He’s been incredible,” Hockenson said, via the Bussin With the Boys podcast. “He’s grinding in the film room, he’s grinding in the classroom. He’s a baller on the field, obviously. But to have a guy, especially a rookie, come into a facility and to the league, you usually need to shut your mouth and go to work and that’s exactly what he did. He’s earned the respect of a lot of guys in there.”