Mike Tomlin isn’t concerned about a touchdown celebration. His only focus is on scoring more of them.
It took until a little over four minutes left in Sunday’s 24-10 loss to the Arizona Cardinals for the Pittsburgh Steelers to find the end zone. WR Diontae Johnson caught his second score of the season, a 2-yard completion from QB Mitch Trubisky, making it 24-10 after the extra point. After scoring, Johnson celebrated, something that drew the ire of at least fans given the circumstances. Still down two scores, Pittsburgh’s odds of winning were remote.
Late in his Monday press conference, Mike Tomlin was asked if he had an issue with Johnson’s actions. After first saying he was unfamiliar with the moment, the reporter clarified, and Tomlin did not offer much of a response.
“What’s your opinion on it?” Tomlin shot back at the reporter, via the team’s YouTube channel. “Do you have one?”
Tomlin was asked again for his opinion.
“Not that I’ll share with you guys,” Tomlin said.
I’m not sure where the death glare font on my keyboard is but if I could locate it, I’d be using it right now. That summed up the exchange. One question later and Tomlin’s presser was over.
Going back to the moment, here’s Johnson’s score and celebration.
For Johnson, finding the end zone has been an uncommon occurrence the last two seasons. In 2022, he set the NFL record for most receptions in a season without a touchdown, 86 grabs that failed to find paydirt. That streak extended until Week Nine of this year, partially because Johnson missed four weeks with a hamstring injury, until he caught a 3-yard pass to help put the Steelers past the Tennessee Titans.
His second score of the year was cause for far less celebration. Fans took to Twitter to bash Johnson for his excitement in a game the Steelers seemed destined to lose. While there’s a case to critique the moment, it’s far down on the list of issues the Steelers experienced yesterday. Still, many will point to a long list of grievances with Johnson. Everything from getting into shouting matches with players and coaches to his questionable effort to his on-field miscues of running backwards and drops, though the latter has been cleaned up since his disastrous 2020 season.
As Dave Bryan outlined last week, there’s every reason to expect Johnson to return in 2024. But that’ll be the last year of the extension he signed prior to the 2022 season. It seems like a coin flip if he’ll sign a second extension, meaning next year could be his last season with the Steelers.
