The article states that maturity issues led the Steelers to trade Diontae Johnson.
Although Diontae Johnson reportedly stated that he wanted to leave Pittsburgh, Mike Tomlin stated at the NFL owner’s meetings in late March that the team traded the seasoned receiver to Carolina in exchange for Donte Jackson because they wanted to improve their cornerback position. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Ray Fittipaldo doesn’t accept Tomlin’s justification. He says the Steelers released Johnson because he was a “big issue” in the locker room.
“They traded Diontae Johnson for this reason. Fittipaldo stated as much during an appearance on Press Coverage on SiriusXM NFL Radio. “He was an older guy, but he was still making a lot of youthful mistakes and not always acting his age or what was best for that receiver room.”
According to Steelers Now sources, the Steelers perceived a culture problem in their wide receivers’ room, and animosity between the team and Johnson grew throughout the 2023 campaign. During the team’s Week 4 loss to the New York Jets in 2022, Johnson and quarterback Mitch Trubisky allegedly got into a fight at halftime. Johnson and Minkah Fitzpatrick had an argument following the Steelers’ Week 11 loss to Cleveland last season.
In March, Fittipaldo’s associate Gerry Dulac stated that Johnson’s impact on George Pickens was also a significant factor in the transaction. Nevertheless, he made note of Johnson’s departure from Pittsburgh “one way or the other.” It was recently said by Johnson that he had a grudge. He believes that he is not given enough credit.
“I’m a gem in the rough, and I simply want to keep getting better. I always have that chip with me because I continue to be disregarded. Sometimes I feel like I don’t get the credit I deserve, which only motivates me to work harder. At the Panthers minicamp on Tuesday, Johnson declared, “I’m going to keep putting it on film and proving to the league that I’m one of the best separators out there.” Johnson claimed to reporters that ever since high school, people had ignored him. mentioning that he played at Toledo and didn’t get many offers from colleges. So, for him, staying under the radar is nothing new.
Johnson’s tenure with the Steelers was a flaming mess. Despite his productivity, he lacked consistency. A few of the mishaps were downright frustrating. The first play that comes to mind is the mental slip-up and lack of concentration versus Cincinnati this past year.