The Pittsburgh Steelers are coming off of a sluggish season offensively. The system and play-calling was atrocious for the most part, the quarterback play was at the bottom of the league, and several players continuously made themselves a distraction off of the field. One of those players was wide receiver, Diontae Johnson. He was injured in Week 1, and didn’t return until Week 7. He had a productive season following his injury, but his antics grew tiresome and now the Steelers might be looking to send him elsewhere.
The Steelers have actively been looking for more receiver talent to pair with Johnson and George Pickens. They met formally with some of the top receivers in the 2024 NFL Draft and will certainly be looking to add to their receiver room. Johnson is a good receiver on the field, but he has proven to be a distraction at times. He has gotten into fights with teammates and even showed a lack of effort on the field in a way that was detrimental to the team. Tony Pauline, an NFL insider and draft analyst, recently reported that the Steelers are open to trading Johnson if the price is right.
“Is Pittsburgh Steelers receiver Diontae Johnson on the trading block? The short answer is possibly, if the price is right. While it’s not fair to say Johnson is on the trading block, several people tell me the Steelers are open to moving the receiver if they receive fair compensation.”
Johnson has been productive for Pittsburgh, but he and the organization have had a bit of friction for some time now. He was reported to be planning another training camp “hold-in” as he enters the last year of his contract. He is carrying a cap hit of nearly $16 million for the 2024 season, so there is some incentive for Pittsburgh if they would be able to trade him and get out of his large contract.
Johnson had his best season in 2021 when he had over 1,100 receiving yards along with eight touchdowns during Ben Roethlisberger’s final season. He has never gotten back to that level, but some of the blame certainly falls on the low-level quarterback play and poor offensive play-calling over the past two seasons. In 2022, Johnson didn’t score a single touchdown, and in 2023, he had five touchdowns and 717 receiving yards, while missing four games.
Johnson is still effective, and unless he has become a serious issue within the locker room or the Steelers desperately need the cap space, the organization should not force a trade. He is a good complimentary receiver to Pickens, and is by far the best route runner on the roster. Unless the Steelers have major plans to bring in a veteran wide receiver via free agency or another trade, it would be best to hold on to Johnson until his contract expires following the 2024 season.
Steelers’ Issues With Johnson
Apart from the impending training camp “hold-in” from Johnson, which he has done before, Johnson has been a part of Steelers drama on multiple occasions since the start of the 2023 season. It was reported that he and Minkah Fitzpatrick got into an altercation in the locker room. He didn’t even attempt to recover Jaylen Warren’s fumble in Week 12 against the Cincinnati Bengals, and a Bengals defender ended up picking up the ball and Johnson didn’t even try to tackle him. Johnson also expressed his desire for Mason Rudolph to get the starting job in 2024, despite the organization being eager to give Kenny Pickett another shot.
All of his antics are certainly enough to get him sent off to another organization, but he is still a good player. Aside from Pickens, the wide receiver room would be bleak without Johnson as it is currently constructed. If the Steelers decide to deal Johnson, there better be solid plans to replenish the receiver group.
Do you want to see Johnson traded?
