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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 — a player that, by NFL rule, the Steelers cannot acquire via trade this season.
The question of whether Johnson can return to Pittsburgh surfaced when Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox named 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.
However, under league rules, the Steelers are not eligible to trade for Johnson before the 2024 NFL trade deadline because they traded Johnson to the Panthers in March.
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. As it turns out, it’s not permitted.
In March, the Steelers sent Johnson to the Panthers for 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.
With the Panthers falling out of the NFC South because of their 1-5 record, Johnson could find himself on the trade block the next couple weeks. Even if he is, though, the Steelers cannot reacquire him.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport posted a picture from the league rulebook on September 30. In the picture, the rulebook read, “a player who has been traded cannot return to the club that took such action until two seasons have elapsed, including the season of the year in which he left the club.”
There are two exceptions to this rule. Both of the exceptions involve the traded player being waived or released by the team he was traded to.
That’s obviously not the case with Johnson and doesn’t figure to be. The veteran receiver is playing well for the Panthers, and the team could trade him for future draft capital.
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Therefore, it’s highly unlikely the Steelers can target Johnson as a potential secondary target for their passing attack.
Are the Panthers Interested in Trading Diontae Johnson?
The question of whether the Steelers will explore reacquiring Johnson is a moot point. But it is also not clear if the Panthers are interested in trading Johnson.
On October 2, Panthers head coach Dave Canales stated that he doesn’t “see that happening” when asked about potentially dealing Johnson for draft capital.
With the compensation teams received this week in exchange for veteran wide receivers, the Panthers could always change their minds. Johnson will be an unrestricted free agent next March.
But for now, Johnson doesn’t appear to be on the trade block. Even if he was, the Steelers won’t be able to target him.
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