NFL Rumors: Steelers Trade WR Diontae Johnson to Panthers for CB Donte Jackson, More
March 12, 2024
The Pittsburgh Steelers have traded wide receiver Diontae Johnson to the Carolina Panthers for cornerback Donte Jackson and a pick swap, per ESPN's Adam Schefter, who broke the deal down:
The Athletic's Dianna Russini reported on March 9 that teams have shown interest in Johnson, and the Steelers were "open" to hearing offers.
That interest has materialized into a trade, ending Johnson's five-year stint in Pittsburgh.
The 5'10", 183-pound receiver joined the Steelers as a third-round pick out of Toledo in 2019. He impressed off the bat by catching 59 passes for 680 yards and five touchdowns during his rookie campaign.
He became the team's top pass-catching star in 2021, hauling in 101 passes for 1,161 yards and eight scores. That season marked his first Pro Bowl appearance.
Johnson signed a two-year, $36.71 million extension after the 2021 season, bringing his contract through the 2024 campaign.
He hasn't found as much success since in the post-Ben Roethlisberger era. He finished without any touchdowns in 2022 while catching 86 passes for 882 yards.
A hamstring injury suffered in Week 1 then got Johnson's 2023 season off to a tough start. He missed four games and returned to snag 51 passes for 717 yards and five scores.
Drops have also plagued Johnson's success at times, most notably in 2020, when he had an NFL-high 13.
In fairness to Johnson, he's often seen erratic or substandard quarterback play during his tenure. He's also been asked to absorb a heavy workload at times (e.g, an average of 153.3 targets per season from 2020-2022).
Ultimately, a change of scenery will probably do Johnson some good. He's proved capable of being a solid possession receiver, and perhaps he'll better realize his potential (and reclaim his 2021 form) in Carolina.
The Panthers were in need of receiver help, and Johnson has a good chance to be the team's No. 1 target with Jonathan Mingo and Adam Thielen also getting a decent target share.
Pittsburgh adds $522,500 of cap from the trade, per Spotrac. The trade also signals a huge need for another pass-catcher or two, with no wideout on the current roster catching more than 17 passes or amassing more than 180 yards outside of George Pickens.