As the Pittsburgh Steelers try to figure out their quarterback situation for next season, they are also willing to explore trade opportunities involving wide receiver Diontae Johnson.
Per The Athletic’s Dianna Russini, there has been interest in Johnson from teams around the league and the Steelers are “open” to hearing offers for him.
Johnson is going into the final season of a two-year, $36.7 million contract extension he signed with the Steelers in August 2022.
Trading Johnson now would save Pittsburgh $10 million against the cap. That’s a huge number for a team that currently only has $18.4 million in cap space.
A problem for the Steelers is that this seems like a bad offseason to try trading a wide receiver, especially one who doesn’t fall into the top-tier of players at the position.
Tee Higgins and Brandon Aiyuk have been talked about as potential trade candidates if they don’t work out long-term extensions with their current clubs. They would seem to be more attractive for teams looking to find help at wide receiver.
This is also shaping up to be one of the most receiver-rich drafts ever. B/R’s NFL scouting department has 17 wide receivers ranked among the top 78 players overall.
Since recording a career-high 1,161 receiving yards and eight touchdowns during the 2021 season, Johnson’s performance has declined in each of the past two years. He did average a career-best 14.1 yards per reception in 2023, but also set career-lows in targets (87) and receptions (51).
Some of the decline can be attributed to the issues Pittsburgh has had at quarterback, but he also clearly became the No. 2 option last season behind George Pickens.
A fresh start could be good for Johnson, who is going into his 28th season in 2024. But the amount of receiver talent available via trades and the draft could make it difficult for the Steelers to bring back anything of significant value if a deal materialises.
