Trading wide receiver Diontae Johnson isn’t a case of addition by subtraction for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Losing their top receiver is a significant blow.
While it’s still early in the offseason with the NFL draft approaching, any plan the Steelers may have had in sending Johnson to Carolina hasn’t materialized yet.
Rumors surrounding Cincinnati Bengals free agent Tyler Boyd have quieted down, and there’s been no progress on the Brandon Aiyuk front, despite earlier speculation.
According to Mark Kaboly of The Athletic, the primary reason for Johnson’s trade seems to be financial.
“Johnson was traded because he was heading into the final year of his contract, he wasn’t going to be re-signed and he felt the Steelers’ quarterback situation wasn’t going to put him in the position to cash out on another contract next year.”
Although Johnson’s story in a Pittsburgh Steelers uniform remains unfinished, it’s difficult to imagine that Pittsburgh’s quarterback situation could deteriorate further following Ben Roethlisberger’s retirement.
Diontae Johnson had the potential to surpass his career-best performance of 1,181 receiving yards and eight touchdowns in 2021, but we’ll never see that now. And perhaps that’s alright.
Now, he has the opportunity to aid struggling quarterback Bryce Young in making a mark for himself in the NFL. It will be interesting to see how the next chapter of his NFL career unfolds in Carolina.
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