The real reason why the Pittsburgh Steelers traded Pro Bowl WR Diontae Johnson has come to light
When the Pittsburgh Steelers traded Diontae Johnson to the Carolina Panthers in exchange for Donte Jackson, heads were scratched, and eyebrows were raised. A Pro Bowler who constantly produced during his tenure, how a team could trade away one of their best overall players for such little return was questionable. But when you hear about […]
When the Pittsburgh Steelers traded Diontae Johnson to the Carolina Panthers in exchange for Donte Jackson, heads were scratched, and eyebrows were raised.
A Pro Bowler who constantly produced during his tenure, how a team could trade away one of their best overall players for such little return was questionable.
But when you hear about everything that went on behind the scenes, it starts to make sense:
Too Many "Youthful Mistakes"
"That's why they traded Diontae Johnson. He was an older guy, but he was still making a lot of youthful mistakes and not always acting his age or what was best for that receiver room," Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post Gazette told Press Coverage on Sirius XM Radio when asked about the Steelers wanting to cut down on drama in their receiver room.
That aligns with previous reports from Fittipaldo and his colleague Gerry Dulac:
One way or the other, they were going to move on from DJ. The incidents with his teammates – Mitch Trubisky at halftime in Week 4 in 2022; the post-game dustup with Minkah Fitzpatrick after the loss to the Browns. Steelers had enough. They were moving on from (Johnson] one way or another. DJ was a good receiver, they just got tired of the headaches. It's like an old coach once told me – when the production outweighs the aggravation, you keep him; when the aggravation outweighs the production, you get rid of them. -Gerry Dulac, Pittsburgh Post Gazette
And while all that may be true, I think the way a team source described Johnson to me was the best yet due to his simplicity of the situation.
"DJ is a great player and an even better route runner, he just can't get out of his own way."
And maybe the fresh start in Carolina is what Johnson needs. He doesn't always look like he's dominating on the field, but when you turn on the tape, you see a player that is open more times than he's not.
Whether it was the QB play, offensive line, or overall infrastructure of the scheme, he just didn't get the ball when he should have, leading to bouts of frustration.
I don't bring that to you as an excuse, as Johnson is a professional who was paid a second contract in the NFL and a grown man who should act as such.
Hopefully, that changes down south.
Pittsburgh Steelers 90-man depth chart projection: Multiple training camp battles loom large
A look at what’s up for grabs in a few weeks.
