Diontae Johnson has plenty to prove in 2024. A strong year with his new Carolina Panthers team could bring him more NFL respect. Not to mention a big payday on the other side.
Johnson might be trading in a Pittsburgh uniform for a Carolina one. But the chip on his shoulder is being brought on over.
“I’m a diamond in the rough and going to continue to keep elevating,” he said Tuesday while speaking with Carolina media via the Panthers’ YouTube channel. “I carry that chip wherever I go because I still feel like I get overlooked. I don’t feel like I get the respect I deserve sometimes. That just makes me go harder. I’m going to keep putting it on film and proving the league that I’m one of the best separators out there.”
Johnson is coming off the toughest year of his NFL career. He pulled a hamstring to start the year and missed a month. After he returned, he struggled to find consistency in the Steelers’ poor passing offense and was blasted for a careless moment after watching a fumble roll on by against the Cincinnati Bengals. He finished the year with a career-lows in targets (87) and receptions (51), though he did find the end zone five times after being shut out the year before.
Entering a contract year, an impressive season should get him paid next March. The wide receiver market is red-hot and while Johnson is unlikely to crack the top five, a deal in the $23-26 million range is realistic. A chance to cash in isn’t lost on him.
“It’s crazy, seeing everybody get these big contracts. It’s just motivating me to keep working,” Johnson said. “God’s going to give it to me when he’s ready.”
Though he said he left the Steelers on good terms, a big season would help prove that Mike Tomlin and Omar Khan made the wrong decision to send him packing.
Traded from Pittsburgh to Carolina as part of a deal that brought CB Donte Jackson to the Steelers, Johnson will try to be a feature piece in a Panthers offense that had the NFL’s worst receivers a year ago. It led first overall pick Bryce Young to struggle, completing less than 60 percent of his passes and just one more touchdown than interception. Beyond Johnson, the team drafted South Carolina’s Xavier Legette in the first round. Johnson is setting out to prove his new team right and the rest of the NFL wrong. In Pittsburgh, the Steelers are set on replacing him.
