Getty Bleacher Report's Kristopher Knox argued the Pittsburgh Steelers are a potential landing spot for wide receiver Diontae Johnson.
The Pittsburgh Steelers could badly use a wide receiver upgrade before the NFL trade deadline passes. The Carolina Panthers should be an obvious seller, and they have a wideout averaging 6 catches and 76.5 receiving yards with 3 touchdowns over the past four games.
That sounds like a match made in heaven. The issue is that receiver is Diontae Johnson.
After a turbulent final season in Pittsburgh, the Steelers traded Johnson to the Panthers in March. However, that history didn’t stop Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox from naming the Steelers a potential suitor for Johnson on October 16.
“The Steelers might want to try reacquiring Johnson, whom they traded to Carolina for cornerback Donte Jackson in the offseason,” wrote Knox.
“According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the Steelers had a “strong interest” in Adams, who is now off the table.”
Last season in Pittsburgh, Johnson posted 51 catches for 717 receiving yards and 5 touchdowns in 13 games. He had 391 receptions, 4,363 yards and 25 touchdowns over five seasons with the Steelers.
Through six weeks, he’s on pace for more than 80 catches and 950 receiving yards along with a career high in receiving touchdowns in 2024.
Knox concluded that Johnson would be “at worst” a “quality second target” in another NFL offense.
Could the Steelers Realistically Target Diontae Johnson in a Trade?
It would be very odd to see the Steelers trade for Johnson about seven months after they shipped him to the Panthers. In exchange, the Steelers received cornerback Donte Jackson.
Pundits were critical of the move for the Steelers when it occurred. But Jackson has played well, leading the team with 6 pass defenses and 3 interceptions.
Since the Panthers benched Bryce Young for Andy Dalton at quarterback, Johnson has also shinned. The veteran receiver has surpassed 75 yards and scored a touchdown in three of his past four games.
But with the Panthers falling out of the NFC South because of their 1-5 record, perhaps the Steelers could reacquire Johnson for a draft pick. Two of those kinds of trades involving veteran receivers occurred on October 16.
First, the New York Jets dealt a conditional third-round pick for Davante Adams. Then, the Buffalo Bills acquired Amari Cooper and a conditional sixth-round choice for a third-rounder and 2026 seventh-round pick.
The Jets could potentially benefit from the Adams trade for years since he’s still under contract beyond 2024. However, Cooper, like Johnson, will be an unrestricted free agent in March.
So, the Steelers could probably expect to give up something similar for Johnson to what the Bills did for Cooper. A mid-round pick with a late-round draft swap would be worth half a season of production from Johnson if it meant the Steelers passing offense improving and helping the team compete for the AFC North title.
Why the Steelers Are Unlikely to Trade for Diontae Johnson
In a vacuum, the Steelers acquiring Johnson makes a lot of sense. But the reality is very different.
Johnson was a controversial figure in Pittsburgh, particularly during his final several months with the team. He routinely received criticism for his attitude after losses, and he caused multiple issues in the team’s locker room.
In November last season, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Johnson had a “heated post-game locker-room argument” with safety Minkah Fitzpatrick. That argument reportedly got so intense, veterans Cameron Heyward and T.J. Watt had to break up the two players.
Johnson also caused a problem when he failed to try and recover a fumble in a November contest versus the Cincinnati Bengals.
Ultimately, those issues really weren’t the reason the Steelers traded Johnson. Steelers insider Mark Kaboly reported that Johnson “100 percent” wanted out of Pittsburgh. Entering a contract season, Johnson wanted to either sign a new deal or play for a team where he could post the best statistics to help his 2025 free agency, according to Kaboly.
Ironically, he landed with one of the worst teams in the league. Even still, Johnson might be as weary of coming back to Pittsburgh as the Steelers could be of reacquiring him.
The Steelers passing attack isn’t any better than last year, and unless Johnson sees himself as the solution, Pittsburgh probably isn’t the place for him to maximize his free agency potential.
But Carolina arguably isn’t either, and at least with the Steelers, Johnson would have a chance to win.
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Wild Trade Pitch Sees Steelers Reacquire ‘Quality Second’ WR Target