The Pittsburgh Steelers officially traded WR Diontae Johnson to the Carolina Panthers yesterday. I ended that sentence there because I’m not sure if the rest matters. According to Mark Kaboly of The Athletic, Johnson actually requested that the Steelers trade him. While he offered couched speculation previously, this appears to be the first claim of a legitimate request.
“This wasn’t a great return for a top receiver like Johnson, but the Steelers were backed into a corner”, he wrote for The Athletic. “Johnson requested a trade entering the final year of his contract, with no extension in sight and a $3 million roster bonus due Friday. With that deadline looming, the Steelers didn’t get much in the way of a return, moving up 68 picks near the end of April’s draft and adding a veteran cornerback”.
Johnson never was particularly animated in front of the camera, but things may have been different behind the scenes. I suspect we’ll hear more and more over time, but there are some reports that he became disruptive in certain venues in airing his frustrations.
We know that over the past two seasons he has had multiple incidents with other members of the organization. He had a confrontation with former Steeler Mitch Trubisky in 2023, and got into it with Minkah Fitzpatrick more recently. Johnson also reportedly had an altercation with a coach significant enough to prompt Broderick Jones to separate him.
Assuming Kaboly is correct, Johnson is not the first Steelers wide receiver to request a trade. Antonio Brown went entirely AWOL in 2019, airing any number of grievances, almost all illegitimate or at least petty. The Steelers also dealt Santonio Holmes, Martavis Bryant, Chase Claypool, and Sammie Coates during head coach Mike Tomlin’s tenure.
Last season, Johnson caught 51 passes for 717 yards with 5 touchdowns, adding another touchdown in the playoffs. He missed four-plus games due to a groin injury suffered in the season opener but still tied for the team lead in receiving touchdowns for the regular season.
He shared that mark with the Steelers’ new undisputed top wide receiver, George Pickens, who played in every game. Pickens finished the regular season with 63 receptions for 1,140 yards, both marks leading the team, the latter by a considerable amount.
With Johnson gone, the Steelers have a gaping hole in their wide receiver room. They also released Allen Robinson II and Miles Boykin is currently an unsigned free agent. Their next man up is currently third-year Calvin Austin III, who has little in the way of a resume. He caught 17 passes for 180 yards and one touchdown, a 72-yard pickup early in the year. Austin also scored a rushing touchdown, and had a second through the air in the playoffs.
The only other wide receivers currently under contract with meaningful experience are Denzel Mims and Marquez Calloway. Both spent time on the Steelers’ practice squad in 2023, but never received the call-up to play in a game. Neither is likely to make a significant impact on the 2024 season.
