The Steelers have several holes to fill on their roster this offseason and it seems they may soon have another vacancy to fill as they are reportedly “open” to moving on from their Pro Bowl wide receiver.
According to Sportskeeda’s Tony Pauline, Pittsburgh is open to trading wide receiver Diontae Johnson, a third-round pick in 2019, for the right price.
“While it’s not fair to say Johnson is on the trading block, several people tell me the Steelers are open to moving the receiver if they receive fair compensation,” Pauline writes.
The news certainly comes as a surprise since Johnson has served as the Steelers’ No. 1 receiver for the past few years.
However, the 27-year-old has had back-to-back underwhelming seasons, combining for just 1,599 yards and five touchdowns.
In 2022, Johnson even became the record holder for one of the league’s unluckiest records — having the most catches in a season by a player without scoring a touchdown (86).
Johnson is also heading into the final year of his deal, so if Pittsburgh is planning to move on from him after 2024, it may want to see what kind of compensation it can get for him now.
The Athletic’s Mark Kaboly believes it may be the other way around, however.
“I’ve heard some stuff here and there,” Kaboly said on Pittsburgh’s 93.7 The Fan. “It might be the Steelers are looking to see who’s interested because, potentially, Diontae Johnson might not want to be here, either.”
If that’s the case, then a breakup seems inevitable, and the only question is if Pittsburgh will be fairly compensated.
However, Johnson has since joined in on the conversation and seems unbothered by it.
“People just be talkin,” Johnson posted on platform X.
There are a lot of rumors and speculation tossed around this time of year, but Pauline and Kaboly seem to think there is some truth to the Johnson trade rumors. Only time will tell if he’s played his last down for the Steelers.
