Former controversial Steelers WR bashes the fan base

The Pittsburgh Steelers have a pretty decent history when it comes to the wide receiver position. 

A bunch of big-name wide receivers have worn the black and gold, and Pittsburgh has done a fantastic job at drafting the position throughout the history of the franchise. Despite the great tradition in Pittsburgh when it comes to wide receiver, it has been a position of struggle for the franchise in recent years. 

The last notable wide receiver drafted by the Steelers was George Pickens, and he came with his fair share of issues. He was traded after three years with the team, and a year before that, the team traded away Diontae Johnson.

Johnson was drafted by Pittsburgh in the third round out of Toledo. He had a decent career with the organization as he actually earned a second contract, but he was eventually traded after the 2023 season. He has had some issues ever since leaving the Steelers, and he is currently not on an NFL roster. 

Hopefully, he finds his way back into the league, which is something that he echoed on the podcast "Off The Clock." He spoke about a lot of things from his time with the Steelers while on the show, and he was asked about the fan base in Pittsburgh.

"No disrespect to the fan base," Johnson said. "But every week bro, like you do the littlest thing, they finna bash you, DM you. It's like, I'm not out here trying to mess up. Everybody ain't perfect. I'm sure you ain't perfect at your job. 2020 year bro, when I had all them drops, that was the toughest year. I was out there every day, like before the game, like two hours before doing my routine, they was always on my a— talking about, 'Oh you need to catch the ball, Diontae Brick Johnson.'"

There is no doubt that the fan base in Pittsburgh can be hard on players, and it has gotten a bit out of hand lately. It seems like each season, the fan base picks a couple of players to really harp on and dig at, and of course, that is going to take a mental toll on a person. That is especially true if that player is active on social media, like Johnson and Pickens were near the end of their time with the team.

Johnson had a rough season back in 2020, but the Steelers had a ton of success as the team started the season 11-0. He still put up good numbers on the year as he hauled in 88 passes for 923 yards and seven touchdowns, but the drops were highlighted by the fan base and often used against Johnson. He got rid of the constant drops over the next three seasons, but he couldn't shed the label of being a wide receiver who drops passes.

Steelers' former third-round pick is desperate to get back into the NFL

Johnson was traded to the Carolina Panthers by Pittsburgh, and he was eventually traded by the Panthers to the Baltimore Ravens within the same 2024 season. He was waived and then picked up by the Houston Texans before being waived again, and he eventually signed with the Ravens before becoming a free agent after the 2024 season. He changed teams four times in 2024, and he has not been on an active roster since. 

He spent some time with the Cleveland Browns in training camp ahead of the 2025 season, and he was released during final roster cuts. He is now waiting for a call, and he could be on some team's roster by the time training camp comes around.