The Pittsburgh Steelers traded WR Diontae Johnson for CB Donte Jackson with the Carolina Panthers in March. Johnson wound up bouncing around the league, while the football bounced Jackson’s way. He finished his first season with the Steelers with a career-high five interceptions. And he hopes to have the opportunity to do it again in 2025, still in the Black and Gold.
A 2018 second-round pick by the Panthers, Jackson knows the Steelers coveted him for some years. They didn’t get him in the draft, just missed him in free agency in 2022, and then failed to finalize a trade in 2023. Just a few months later, they finally got him, and he couldn’t be happier.
The only problem is that his contract is up. Jackson signed a three-year, $35.18 million deal with the Panthers in 2022, and the Steelers inherited the final year. Now he’s a pending free agent, and it’s unclear what will happen next.
“I hope I’m back,” Jackson told Steelers teammate Christian Kuntz on the long snapper’s podcast. “Another free agency coming up. Just grateful to be in this spot, to be able to sign a third contract. Because, man, guys don’t get to two. It’s a blessing, just to be able to set myself up to sign three is awesome. Huge opportunity for me and my family. We hope we’re back here. We love it. But business is business.”
Now 29 years old with seven seasons under his belt, Donte Jackson just experienced his first playoff game in Pittsburgh. In fact, 2024 was his first non-losing season, something the Steelers never experience. He would certainly like to be part of another winning season, and hopes he can do that here. Speaking with Kuntz, he described his first encounter with one tradition in particular.
“That Renegade, it was life-changing for me. I’m just like, ‘Jeez, dawg, this is crazy right here,'” he said of the popular video montage the Steelers play over the Styx hit during home games at key moments for the defense.
“From the moment we first got here, all the love, just me and my family have received, it’s just been crazy,” Jackson said of his experience with the Steelers. “We really enjoy this organization. We really enjoy the fans. We enjoyed this year. It was one of the more memorable ones in my family.”
The Steelers’ top cornerback is Joey Porter Jr., going into his third season in 2025. After him, however, the room is wide open, with Donte Jackson, James Pierre, and Cameron Sutton pending free agents. While Cory Trice Jr. remains, he has very little experience.
At this stage in his career, it’s unclear at what dollar amount the Steelers might value Jackson. They may want to do business with him, but could they give him an eight-figure annual salary? They paid him $6 million for the 2024 season, Carolina eating almost $10 million in dead money. As is usually the case in such situations, the market may ultimately determine his next stop.
