OGDEN, Utah, March 18, 2024 (Gephardt Daily) — Former Weber State great Taron Johnson has signed a three-year contract extension with the Buffalo Bills that makes him the NFL‘s highest-paid nickel cornerback.
Johnson, 27, was rewarded Monday for his first All-Pro season, landing a deal that ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported is worth $31 million.
The 5-foot-11, 192-pound cornerback totaled a career-high 98 tackles (59 solo), along with eight passes defensed, three forced fumbles and one fumble recovery while playing in all 17 games last season for the Bills.
Johnson’s performance earned him a spot on the NFL’s All-Pro Second Team.
“They treat me like family and I love the guys I’ve played with,” Johnson said after signing the contract extension with the Bills. “I love the guys they’ve brought here. We’ve been right in it every single year, so I just want to continue getting past that point and get to the Super Bowl.”
Johnson has spent his entire six-year NFL career with Buffalo after being selected by the Bills in the fourth round (No. 121 overall) of the 2018 NFL Draft.
He played the second-most snaps of any Bills defender last season, earning an 80.4 Pro Football Focus grade, and his 8.2 yards per route allowed was the fourth-best rate in the NFL, according to Player Profiler.
Now entering his seventh season with the team, Johnson says he’s ready to take on more of a leadership role in the Bills secondary.
“It’s a new opportunity for me. I have to be more vocal this year; I’m expecting to do that a lot,” Johnson said. “Whatever that role means for me, that’s what I’m going to do.”
Johnson was an unanimous All-American First Team selection in 2017 as a senior at Weber State and helped lead the Wildcats to a Big Sky Conference championship. He also was the Big Sky’s Defensive MVP that season.
In his four years at Weber State, Johnson played in 47 career games and left as the Wildcats’ all-time leader in pass breakups with 42. He finished his WSU career with 172 total tackles and six interceptions.
