Former Steelers WR Diontae Johnson Implies Team Was Scared To Trade Him Within AFC

The 2023 season presented certain difficulties for the wide receiver room of the Pittsburgh Steelers. George Pickens and Diontae Johnson were the focus of media attention because of a number of problems. According to some accounts, Johnson’s main reason for trade was because the Steelers were sick of the headaches he gave them. Despite Head Coach Mike Tomlin’s denial of these allegations, rumors persist among fans.

The NFL community was taken aback when the Steelers traded Johnson to the Carolina Panthers following the season. According to Mike Garafolo of NFL Network, the Kansas City Chiefs, who were in dire need of wide receiver support, were very interested in acquiring Johnson. To prevent Johnson from joining the AFC, the Steelers apparently decided not to make a trade with the Chiefs. Johnson now discovers

Johnson chatted with Joseph Person of The Athletic after relocating to his new city to discuss his feelings regarding the move. In response to a question concerning the Chiefs’ purported interest, Johnson said that he was aware of the Steelers’ reluctance to deal him inside the AFC.

It’s a big shift to be moved to a team that recently won back-to-back Super Bowls as opposed to joining one of the poorest teams in the league. Patrick Mahomes, the best quarterback in the league, was about to find Johnson with a ball. Instead, Bryce Young, who had a difficult first season, will now be the one making the throws to him.

With just 11 touchdowns and 10 interceptions in his debut season, Young—the top overall pick in the 2023 draft—had a difficult debut. In an attempt to give their failing quarterback a consistent target, the Panthers acquired Johnson through trade. Even though Young still has potential, by 2024 he will require a lot of assistance. It is believed that acquiring Johnson will help Young acquire confidence again by providing him with a stable wide receiver and accelerate his growth.

Johnson is a player the Panthers are really excited about, and the Steelers are excited about the player they got in return. In return for Johnson, the Steelers acquired cornerback Donte Jackson. The Steelers have a great deal of faith in Jackson and think he will greatly improve their secondary.

The decision by the Steelers to not send Diontae Johnson to Kansas City was a wise one.
It is not out of the ordinary to think that the Steelers’ reluctance to deal Johnson to the AFC affected their choices. Even though the Steelers haven’t won a postseason game since the 2016 campaign, they know they need to return to the Super Bowl. Their chances of winning the AFC would have been considerably more difficult if Johnson had been traded to the NFL’s top club. It’s likely that they didn’t want to bolster an opponent by strengthening their one area of weakness.

Rather than contending, the Steelers traded Johnson to a non-competitive team. Johnson will be a key member of the offensive line in Carolina and should have a strong 2024 campaign statistically. Even though the Steelers will miss him, trading him was most likely the best choice. Talent at wide receiver has historically been developed by the Steelers through the draft. Johnson was costly, and during his tenure in Pittsburgh, questions were frequently raised about his work ethic and attitude.

Both the Steelers and Johnson can start again with this deal. The Steelers will try to bring in fresh talent to cover Johnson’s vacuum. In an attempt to have Roman Wilson have a good rookie influence on the receiving corps, they selected him in the third round. The Steelers wisely decided to preserve their chances of winning the Super Bowl in the future by not trading Johnson to the Chiefs.