Why Steelers Won’t Trade Back for Diontae Johnson
The Pittsburgh Steelers could be searching for a legit No. 2 wide receiver near the trade deadline. Calvin Austin III has stepped up at times, but the wide receiver corps still leaves a lot to be desired behind George Pickens.
General manager Omar Khan traded Diontae Johnson to the Carolina Panthers this offseason and failed to replace his production. Khan took a big swing for Brandon Aiyuk but came up short and did not have a Plan B.
With the Panthers struggling at 1-3 and appearing to be a top-5 draft pick team in 2025, Johnson could be on the trade block once again. The Panthers might offload some talent and try to acquire some picks if it’s a lost season.
A reunion for Johnson in Pittsburgh via a trade is impossible, however, at least for the next two years. Ian Rapoport of NFL Network pointed out in the Hassan Reddick situation that a team can’t trade a player, then reacquire him via trade until two years elapse. So the New York Jets won’t be sending Reddick back to Philly.
Johnson has recorded 20 receptions for 239 yards (12.0 average) and two touchdowns through four games in Carolina. Johnson’s production has picked up in the last two games, catching eight passes for 122 yards and a touchdown in the Panthers’ Week 3 win over the Las Vegas Raiders. This past Sunday, he caught seven receptions for 83 yards and a touchdown in a 34-24 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.
Here are the full NFL rules on trades and players being re-acquired. https://t.co/8MF8IaudEG pic.twitter.com/eXboevtY8n
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 30, 2024
Dan Graziano and Jeremy Fowler of ESPN floated two wide receivers as possible targets for the Steelers at the trade deadline — DeAndre Hopkins and Christian Kirk.
“Where the Steelers’ offense is probably still a little short is at wide receiver, where George Pickens is the nominal No. 1 by default but is still working on being a consistently reliable part of the offense,” Graziano wrote. “The Steelers were active on the wide receiver market in the offseason — remember, they had a real chance to land Brandon Aiyuk had the 49ers not been able to extend him — and I expect them to continue to monitor the receiver trade market as the deadline approaches. Tennessee’s DeAndre Hopkins and Jacksonville’s Christian Kirk are two veterans who could conceivably become available and might be appealing to the Steelers if their teams continue to lose and fall out of the playoff race.”
Las Vegas Raiders star wide receiver Davante Adams is also another possibility, but he probably would land with the New York Jets if gets traded. The Steelers have the fifth-best odds to land Adams in a trade, according to BetOnline.ag. Adams has denied rumors that he wants out of Las Vegas, but things could change if the Raiders and the offense continue to struggle.
The New York Jets are the favorites to land Adams with 1/3 odds, followed by the Kansas City Chiefs (4/1), Baltimore Ravens (5/1), Buffalo Bills (6/1) and Steelers (8/1).
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