Jacksonville Jaguars' safety Antonio Johnson is going to need a repeat of his 2025 season if he wants to cement his status as one of the best safeties in the NFL.

Johnson burst onto the scene last season. Even though he didn't begin the campaign as a starter, Johnson ended the season as PFF's top-graded safety. He showcased elite ball-hawking ability, tying for second in the NFL with five interceptions.

Now entering his fourth season, Johnson has become an integral part of Anthony Campanile's defense and will be counted on as a leader for the Jaguars' young safeties, Caleb Ransaw and Jalen Huskey.

However, even after his fantastic 2025 season, Johnson is still not a household name. He also was not rewarded for his outstanding play with either a Pro Bowl or All-Pro selection.

Like head coach Liam Coen told his team, it will take more than a single season of winning to earn respect from those outside the building.

The same is true for Johnson, who still finds himself on the outside looking in when it comes to the rankings of the best safeties in the NFL.

Despite being PFF's top-graded safety last season, the publication only ranked Johnson as the NFL's 13th-best safety for 2026.

Clearly, one season of elite play was not enough for Johnson to convince everybody that he is one of the premier safeties in the league, and he will need another dominant year before he gets the recognition he deserves.

PFF needs to see more consistency from Johnson before placing him among the top safeties in the league. While they note Johnson's excellence in coverage, including an 87.6 coverage grade and only allowing a 53.4 passer rating when targeted, PFF wants Johnson to prove last season was not a fluke.

"Johnson did a total about-face in 2025, going from one of the NFL’s worst to best safeties by overall PFF grade. Indeed, his 86.6 overall PFF grade was the highest among anyone at the position with 700 or more snaps. Johnson was particularly dynamic in coverage, amassing an 87.6 PFF coverage mark and allowing only a 53.4 passer rating on targets in his direction. The key for Johnson will be consistency as he enters his fourth season in pursuit of a lucrative extension."

As noted, Johnson has a lot of money on the line this season. He is entering the final year of his four-year rookie contract with a total value of about $4.1 million. Another excellent season before free agency, and Johnson will be in line for a life-changing payday. The top safeties in the NFL now fetch over $20 million/year.

It's a bit strange to see PFF only have Johnson ranked as the league's 13th-best safety. By PFF's own grading, Johnson was the best safety in the NFL last season. 

That is a glaring contradiction, and seems to devalue PFF's own grading system.

Johnson's stellar play came out of nowhere last year and played a huge part in Jacksonville's 13-4 season. Now, he will be counted on to be one of the best players on one of the league's best defenses. Johnson will no longer be sneaking up on anyone in 2026. He will be one of the players offenses must game plan against.

Another season like Johnson had in 2025 will make the 24-year-old not only one of the richest safeties in the NFL, but also one of the top-ranked as well.

Hopefully, Johnson will use this slight as extra motivation for the upcoming season.

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