Pittsburgh Steelers reportedly ‘open’ to trading Diontae Johnson
With free agency starting next week, the Steelers may be willing to shop receiver Diontae Johnson, whose production fell sharply last season.
This is according to a report from Dianna Russini with The Athletic. She shared on X that there is interest from other teams in acquiring Johnson, the one time Pro Bowler. However, the Steelers’ receivers room already is less crowded thanks to a move the team made on Friday in releasing Allen Robinson.
The Steelers selected Johnson in the fourth round of the 2019 NFL Draft. He made the Pro Bowl in 2021, which was Ben Roethlisberger’s final season. Johnson caught 107 passes for 1,161 yards and eight touchdowns that year. Now, contrast that to this past season. He caught a career-low 51 passes for playing in only 13 games. He did average a career-high 14.1 yards per catch.
In all this, the Steelers are signaling they desire a different vibe from their offense. Coach Mike Tomlin hired Arthur Smith, the former head coach of the Falcons, to be the offensive coordinator. And with Smith now calling the offensive shots, the Steelers also are signaling that they are open to switching quarterbacks.
On Friday, Russell Wilson flew to Pittsburgh to meet with Smith and other Steelers coaches. Wilson will be a free agent next week. The Broncos gave him permission to speak to teams ahead of time. Wilson also met with the New York Giants and may be considering the Las Vegas Raiders.
Pittsburgh, at a minimum, seems to be pondering whether to move on from Kenny Pickett, who has started the past two seasons.
Meanwhile, the Steelers could clear some cap space by trading Johnson. He will take up almost $16 million this year, the final season of his current contract.