The Baltimore Ravens have added another weapon to their offense, acquiring former Pittsburgh Steelers Pro Bowl wide receiver Diontae Johnson on October 29.
Johnson is back in the AFC North, though not with the Steelers. Instead, he’s joining the Ravens. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Ravens traded with the Carolina Panthers for Johnson, giving up a 2025 fifth-round pick in exchange for Johnson and a sixth-round selection.
Originally drafted by the Steelers in the third round, No. 66 overall, of the 2019 NFL Draft, Johnson compiled 391 receptions, 4,363 yards, and 25 touchdowns over five seasons in Pittsburgh. In quarterback Ben Roethlisberger’s final season in 2021, Johnson had a career year, posting 107 catches for 1,161 yards and 8 touchdowns, earning a Pro Bowl nod.
This season, the 28-year-old wide receiver recorded 30 receptions, 357 yards, and 3 touchdowns in seven games for the Panthers.
Diontae Johnson’s Journey to the Ravens
This marks Johnson’s second trade in just over six months. The Steelers traded him to Carolina for cornerback Donte Jackson at the start of the 2023 free agency period. That deal didn’t include draft compensation, drawing criticism at the time.
Johnson showed flashes of his old self in Carolina, but his trade value had clearly dropped since the offseason. The Panthers only managed to move up one round on a Day 3 pick by trading him to Baltimore.
Part of the reason for Johnson’s relatively low trade cost may be his contract status. Johnson signed a 2-year, $36.7 million extension with Pittsburgh, which expires in March, making him a rental player for the Ravens.
Despite his short-term status, Johnson should bolster Baltimore’s receiving corps. The Ravens have sought more dynamic wide receivers for years. With Zay Flowers and Rashod Bateman already performing well, Johnson gives MVP candidate Lamar Jackson yet another valuable target.
Flowers currently leads Baltimore with 41 receptions and 527 receiving yards, while Bateman is averaging 19.2 yards per catch. The Ravens, with a 5-3 record, are second in the AFC North, just behind the Steelers.
Should the Steelers Have Attempted a Trade for Johnson?
Since trading Johnson, the Steelers have been connected to various wide receivers in the trade market. They also drafted Roman Wilson in the third round to help replace him.
So far, those moves haven’t filled Johnson’s shoes, sparking speculation that Pittsburgh might consider re-acquiring him. However, NFL rules prevent teams from reacquiring a player they have traded for two years.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport confirmed this in a September 30 post, showing the league rulebook which states, “a player who has been traded cannot return to the club that took such action until two seasons have elapsed, including the season of the year in which he left the club.”
The only exceptions to this rule apply if the player is waived or released by the team he was traded to.
As such, Pittsburgh’s only path to reacquiring Johnson would have been if Carolina released or waived him, which didn’t happen. Now, with Johnson joining Baltimore, the Steelers are left continuing their search for a receiving solution.
