In March, the Pittsburgh Steelers traded Diontae Johnson to the Carolina Panthers for cornerback Donte Jackson. The teams also swapped draft picks. The Steelers sent a seventh-round pick to Carolina in exchange for the Panthers’ sixth-round pick.
Carolina drafted linebacker Michael Barrett out of Michigan with its pick from Pittsburgh while the Steelers selected Iowa defensive tackle Logan Lee with the pick acquired from Carolina.
On-the-Field Comparison
The on-the-field comparison between Diontae Johnson and Donte Jackson is the biggest factor in evaluating this trade. Initially, I was concerned that Diontae Johnson was a better wide receiver than Donte Jackson was a cornerback. Jackson has a year more experience than Johnson and is almost a year older.
For this exercise, I am comparing Johnson’s offensive snaps and comparing them to advanced defensive statistics taken from the Pro Football Reference for Jackson.
| Name | GP | Snaps | Tgts | Rec | Yds | TD | INT | Catch% | QB Rating |
| Diontae Johnson | 3 | 142 | 26 | 13 | 156 | 1 | 2 | 50 | 49.5 |
| Donte Jackson | 3 | 151 | 6 | 3 | 32 | 0 | 1 | 50 | 26.4 |
Stats from Pro Football Reference
They’ve played a similar number of snaps. Johnson has been targeted more by his quarterback than the opposition has targeted receivers Jackson is covering. But two passes intended for Johnson have been intercepted while Jackson has intercepted a pass. Also interesting is the quarterback rating on passes thrown to Johnson and when opposing quarterbacks target receivers Donte Jackson is covering.
What is missing here is the quality of the passes thrown. For example, second-year quarterback Bryce Young threw the ball to Johnson in the first two games until he was benched. Now the Panthers have brought out their rusty red rifle Andy Dalton to throw the ball. He and Johnson connected for eight receptions for 122 yards and a touchdown last Sunday in the Panthers’ win over the Las Vegas Raiders.
So far, the edge goes to the Pittsburgh Steelers but could swing the other way if the Dalton-Johnson connection continues.
Salary Cap Impact
Steelers Depot founder Dave Bryan explained the salary cap impact after the trade was executed. The Carolina Panthers took over the remainder of the $36.7 million contract extension Johnson signed with the Steelers in August 2022. That means that the Panthers take a $10 million cap hit ($7 million in base pay and $3 million roster bonus) this year. He becomes a free agent in 2025. But, as Dave Bryan explained, Pittsburgh must eat $5.8 million of prorated signing bonus in 2024. That was the remaining portion of the $17 million signing bonus when Johnson signed the contract in 2022.
Donte Jackson’s 2024 salary cap number was $10.5 million. That contract was more complicated since it included a $100,000 per game roster bonus. But the Steelers worked out a new one-year deal with Jackson that created a $6 million cap hit in 2024 ($1.25 million in salary and a $4.75 million prorated signing bonus), according to Over the Cap. Plus, Carolina takes a $9.8 million dead money hit for Jackson.
All of this makes the trade just about a wash money-wise in 2024.
| Name | Year | Age | Base Salary | Prorated Signing Bonus | Cap Number | Cap% | Dead Money |
| Diontae Johnson | 2024 | 28 | $7,000,000 | $3,000,000 | $10,000,000 | 3.8 | $5,833,334 |
| Donte Jackson | 2024 | 29 | $1,250,000 | $4,750,000 | $6,000,000 | 2.3 | $9,780,668 |
Figures from Over the Cap
Swapped Draft Picks
Also, Carolina and Pittsburgh swapped draft picks as a part of the trade.
Carolina received Pittsburgh’s original seventh-round pick. The Panthers selected Michigan linebacker Michael Barrett with the 240th overall pick. Carolina traded the 24-year-old rookie to the Seattle Seahawks for veteran cornerback Mike Jackson. The Seahawks released Barrett from their practice squad on Sept. 10. Then the Browns signed Barrett to their practice squad. He has yet to appeared in an NFL game. Jackson has started all three games and played 100 percent of the Panthers’ defensive snaps. He intercepted a pass against the Raiders.
Pittsburgh drafted interior defensive lineman Logan Lee with Carolina’s sixth-round pick (178 overall). Lee made the initial 53-man roster, But the Steelers placed him on injured reserve prior to Week 1.
Early in the process, Carolina has the upper hand with the swapped draft picks. The Panthers were able to parlay theirs into a starting cornerback. Meanwhile, we wait and see if Logan Lee is reactivated sometime after Week 4.
Conclusion
The true evaluation of who benefited most from this trade will best be done after two or three seasons. Both Johnson and Jackson are scheduled to be free agents in 2025. It will be interesting to see if either player stays with his current team. That may be the true test. Does one player or another involved in the trade become a perennial contributor to their new team? This is just an early snapshot after three games.
So far, Donte Jackson has benefitted Pittsburgh more than Diontae Johnson has helped Carolina. The Panthers do have an edge with the swapped draft picks since they were able to trade for a starting cornerback. And Logan Lee is idle on the injured reserve list.
Your Song Selection
I always like to include a bit of music. We all have our favorite players. And those not so favored. But once we swapped a Steeler for another team’s player. We usually tend to love the one who is currently with Pittsburgh. Here is Love the One You’re With performed by Stephen Stills.
