{"id":1896,"date":"2024-09-19T03:15:17","date_gmt":"2024-09-19T03:15:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportnews.drinkfood.info\/?p=1896"},"modified":"2024-09-19T03:15:17","modified_gmt":"2024-09-19T03:15:17","slug":"former-steelers-controversial-wr-involved-in-trade-rumors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportnews.drinkfood.info\/?p=1896","title":{"rendered":"Former Steelers Controversial WR Involved in Trade Rumors.."},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"post-featured-container-id\">\n<div id=\"post-featured\" class=\"wp-caption\">\n<div class=\"h-responsive\">\n<figure class=\"h-responsive__inner\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"attachment-featured-image size-featured-image wp-post-image\" src=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/GettyImages-2172404590.jpg?quality=65&amp;strip=all&amp;w=780\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 820px) 95vw, 780px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/GettyImages-2172404590.jpg?quality=65&amp;strip=all&amp;w=780 780w, https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/GettyImages-2172404590.jpg?quality=15&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1100 1100w, https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/GettyImages-2172404590.jpg?quality=65&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1350 1350w\" alt=\"Diontae Johnson\" width=\"780\" height=\"439\" data-img-load-time=\"210\" data-dom-ready-time=\"252\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span class=\"caption-credit\">Getty<\/span>Bleacher Report&#8217;s Kristopher Knox placed former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Diontae Johnson on the NFL trade block on September 18.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Wide\u00a0Diontae Johnson\u00a0has already been traded once this year. It\u2019s possible he is dealt again before the NFL trade deadline at the 2024 midseason point.<\/p>\n<p>At least\u00a0Bleacher Report\u2019s Kristopher Knox argued\u00a0the possibility exists. Knox included the\u00a0Carolina Panthers\u00a0wide receiver on his NFL trade block big board on Week 3.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCarolina\u2019s offense, as a whole, has struggled, and the team recently decided to bench 2023 first overall pick Bryce Young in favor of veteran backup Andy Dalton,\u201d\u00a0Knox wrote. \u201cThe Panthers will likely see how Johnson fares with an experienced quarterback in Dave Canales\u2019 offense before entertaining any trade thoughts.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cStill, the 28-year-old will be a free agent next offseason and could be a valuable trade chip if Carolina continues to flounder.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Knox named\u00a0the\u00a0Los Angeles Rams\u00a0and\u00a0New England Patriots\u00a0as potential suitors for Johnson.<\/p>\n<p>The 28-year-old played his first five NFL seasons with the\u00a0Pittsburgh Steelers\u00a0from 2019-23.\u00a0He posted 391 receptions, 4,363 yards and 25 touchdowns while also supplying plenty of team distractions.<\/p>\n<p>During the 2023-24 season alone, Johnson\u00a0accused officials of receiving payment from a Steelers\u2019 opponent,\u00a0made no attempt to recover a fumble\u00a0in Week 12 and\u00a0threw the team\u2019s defense under the bus\u00a0after a loss on December 16.<\/p>\n<p>In 2022,\u00a0Johnson reportedly\u00a0engaged in an halftime altercation with quarterback\u00a0Mitch Trubisky\u00a0during Week 4.\u00a0Johnson also had a \u201cheated locker-room argument\u201d with safety\u00a0Minkah Fitzpatrick\u00a0last season.<\/p>\n<p>The Steelers traded\u00a0Johnson to the Panthers for cornerback\u00a0Dontae Johnson on March 13. Two Day 3 draft picks were also involved in the deal.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2>Former Steelers WR Diontae Johnson on NFL Trade Block?<\/h2>\n<p>Pundits speculated multiple reasons as to why the Steelers traded Johnson.<\/p>\n<p>Steelers insider Mark Kaboly reported\u00a0that Johnson \u201c100 percent\u201d wanted out of Pittsburgh. Johnson is set to be a free agent next offseason, and\u00a0Kaboly argued that Johnson wanted to either sign an extension this offseason or go to a place where he could post a huge 2024 stat line to help his leverage in 2025 free agency.<\/p>\n<p>The Steelers also traded Johnson in early March seemingly to avoid paying him\u00a0a $3 million roster bonus.<\/p>\n<p>The irony, of course, is Johnson landed in Carolina. The Panthers have already benched starting quarterback\u00a0Bryce Young\u00a0this season.<\/p>\n<p>Perhaps Johnson will be able to post better receiving statistics with veteran quarterback\u00a0Andy Dalton\u00a0behind center. But\u00a0Johnson had 5 catches for 34 yards in the first two games combined.<\/p>\n<p>Even with Dalton, though, it\u2019s unlikely Carolina becomes a contender. So, the best case scenario for the Panthers and Johnson might be for him to boost his production over the next several weeks just so he can become a viable trade candidate.<\/p>\n<p>In that situation, Johnson would go to a better team, and the Panthers would receive an asset for the future.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s still early in the season, but the Steelers appear to be early winners of the Johnson-Jackson swap.\u00a0Jackson has recorded an interception, two pass defenses, and one tackle for loss in his first two games for Pittsburgh. He has also allowed only a 12.5 passer rating on passes thrown in his direction.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2>Could the Steelers Trade for Johnson?<\/h2>\n<p>The Steelers may be winners of the Johnson-Jackson trade. But they have yet to replace Johnson in their wide receiver room.<\/p>\n<p>Instead of landing a reliable, chain-moving receiver like Johnson was in Pittsburgh, the Steelers added\u00a0Van Jefferson,\u00a0Scotty Miller\u00a0and\u00a0Quez Watkins as potential Johnson replacements this offseason.<\/p>\n<p>Those three receivers have\u00a015 receiving yards after two games.<\/p>\n<p>Could the Steelers consider bringing back Johnson as a trade rental at the deadline?<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s a question worth asking because of the need the Steelers have at receiver. But whether general manager Omar Khan would consider such a move likely depends on the real reason the team traded him in the first place.<\/p>\n<p>Other than his bonus and the desire to post a big 2024 stat line,\u00a0The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette\u2019s Gerry Dulac wrote\u00a0the Steelers traded Johnson because he was a bad influence on young wideout\u00a0George Pickens.<\/p>\n<p>If that was the case, and the Steelers are still concerned about the other drama Johnson brought during his time in Pittsburgh, then it\u2019s not likely he will be a trade candidate for Khan.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>GettyBleacher Report&#8217;s Kristopher Knox placed former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Diontae Johnson on the NFL trade block on September 18. Wide\u00a0Diontae Johnson\u00a0has already been traded once this&#8230; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":1897,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1896","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Former Steelers Controversial WR Involved in Trade Rumors.. - Sport News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sportnews.drinkfood.info\/?p=1896\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Former Steelers Controversial WR Involved in Trade Rumors.. - Sport News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"GettyBleacher Report&#8217;s Kristopher Knox placed former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Diontae Johnson on the NFL trade block on September 18. 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