Contract Terms
According to multiple published reports, including from NFL Network, the Carolina Panthers agreed to trade for Steelers wide receiver Diontae Johnson. The deal will reportedly be for cornerback Donte Jackson and a swap of late-round picks. The Panthers will send the Steelers a sixth-rounder (178th overall) and will get a seventh-rounder (240th) back.
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Fantasy Football Impact
Johnson was the Steelers' most experienced wide receiver and longest-tenured offensive player. As ESPN.com's Brooke Pryor noted, a third-round pick in the 2019 draft, Johnson is in the final year of his contract and comes with a $10 million cap hit to the Panthers, leaving a $5.8 million dead cap in Pittsburgh.
Johnson had been on the trade radar leading up to free agency, even after leading Pittsburgh in receptions in two of the past three seasons. He gives quarterback Bryce Young, the No. 1 pick in the 2023 draft, an additional playmaker as the Panthers look to climb from an NFL-worst 2-15 record this past season.
Young's top returning receivers from 2023 were Adam Thielen and rookie Jonathan Mingo. Johnson immediately gives Young a deep threat he didn't have a year ago when the former Alabama star ranked 32nd in the NFL with an average of 5.5 yards per pass attempt.
Johnson had five touchdown receptions and 717 receiving yards on 51 catches in 2023 after not scoring a single touchdown the previous season. Johnson also earned a Pro Bowl nod in 2021 with his lone 1,000-yard season and a career-high eight touchdown receptions in quarterback Ben Roethlisberger's final year.
The 27-year-old wideout has amassed 4,363 yards and 25 touchdowns during his five-year NFL tenure.
NFL.com's Bobby Kownack reminded readers that Johnson's hands sometimes let him down, especially early in his career. And while last year's 51 receptions were a career low, Johnson set a new career high in yards per reception, jumping from 11.5 in his rookie year to 14.1.
Meanwhile, Yahoo Sports and Reception Perception analyst Matt Harmon pointed out that the Panthers wideouts could not get open last season. That is Johnson's specialty. In fact, it's something Harmon has been preaching for some time.
"Johnson is one of the best separators in the NFL," Harmon wrote in 2022. There's no route Johnson can't run, no area of the field he can't dominate as a route runner."
Look for new coach and play-caller Dave Canales to lean heavily on those skills as he tries to get Young on the right track after his abysmal rookie season.
Johnson, who finished last year as WR45, currently resides at WR55 on the initial Footballguys 2024 Draft Rankings. He is going slightly higher on early best-ball drafts at Underdog and BestBall 10s. Given the poor state of Carolina's offense, the initial reaction will likely have Johnson's price falling.
The Fantasy Football Fallout
Before we start sorting out the values of the associated pieces in Carolina, it's worth noting Carolina's offense finished last in the NFL in yards per game (265.3) and tied for last in scoring (13.9 points per game). Young threw 11 touchdowns and 10 interceptions with a 59.8 completion percentage. Adding another viable piece with a coaching staff brought on board specifically to get him turned around is a plus for the second-year signal caller.
Also, with such a low bar, Young has to improve, right?
As for Thielen and Mingo, their values are already depressed for the reasons outlined above. This is despite the fact Thielen finished last season as WR18 and posted fantasy WR1 numbers through the first 12 weeks of the season. He sits at WR70 on our initial rankings and is going between WR53 and WR69 on BestBall 10s and Underdog, respectively.
Johnson's departure and Allen Robinson's recent release mean the Steelers have fewer proven pass-catchers available for Russell Wilson's arrival. But George Pickens, who overtook Johnson to become the team's WR1 last season, should continue to emerge as a front-line fantasy prospect. Up-and-coming talent Calvin Austin III could emerge as a legitimate contributor this year. Get him on your radar.
Stock Watch
Risers
Fallers
Overview
The Pittsburgh Steelers are sending wide receiver Diontae Johnson to the Carolina Panthers for cornerback Donte Jackson and a sixth-round draft pick. Johnson will be part of new coach Dave Canales' plan to get second-year QB Bryce Young's career on track after last year's first pick overall struggled mightily as a rookie. It's hard to get excited about any of the receiving assets here, but Johnson -- and the team's other receivers -- will be value plays for those who believe Young and the Panthers can turn things around.