Former Panthers star brutally ripped for botched contract year

This former Carolina Panthers star is being taken to task over how he handled his time with the team during the 2024 NFL season.
Oct 13, 2024; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers wide receiver Diontae Johnson (5) reacts after making a catch in the second quarter at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images
Oct 13, 2024; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers wide receiver Diontae Johnson (5) reacts after making a catch in the second quarter at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images / Bob Donnan-Imagn Images
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There was a lot of blame to go around for the Carolina Panthers' 5-12 campaign, even if the team did show some signs of life toward the end of the season.

Perhaps one of the biggest culprits for the Panthers' struggles is a player who isn't even on the roster anymore: wide receiver Diontae Johnson.

Carolina acquired Johnson in an offseason trade with the Pittsburgh Steelers in order to provide quarterback Bryce Young with a dependable option.

Needless to say, it didn't work out very well, as the former Pro Bowler logged just 30 catches for 357 yards and three touchdowns in seven games before being dealt to the Baltimore Ravens at the trade deadline.

Dean Jones of Cat Crave took a massive shot at Johnson recently, explaining how things came completely undone for the wide out in Carolina.

"It didn't take long for things to unravel," Jones wrote. "Johnson returned to his unhappy self when the Panthers struggled to make an impact early. He called out his teammates and cut a disgruntled figure for the most part. The Panthers opted to remove him from the equation before this escalated."

The Ravens ended up doing the same thing, releasing him after he played in four games and made just one catch with the club. Johnson made his way to the Houston Texans, where he made his debut in Week 18 and then briefly played in the Texans' Wild Card Round playoff win.

Johnson was certainly a significant disappointment for the Panthers, particularly given that he was just three years removed from racking up 107 receptions for 1,161 yards and eight touchdowns.

Jones went on to add that Johnson became "the poster child for how to botch a contract year."

Well put.

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Matthew Schmidt
MATTHEW SCHMIDT

Matthew Schmidt is a sportswriter who covers NFL, MLB, NBA and some college. He has been writing professionally since 2011 and has also worked for Bleacher Report, FanRag Sports, ClutchPoints, NFLAnalysis.Net and NBAAnalysis.net. He was born and raised in New Jersey and has a rather eclectic group of favorite teams: the Boston Celtics, New York Giants and Miami Marlins.