Mike Tomlin Explains Why Steelers Traded Diontae Johnson

Pittsburgh Steelers head coach broke down the decision to move on from Diontae Johnson.

Dec 18, 2022; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin talks to / Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

PITTSBURGH -- One of the most surprising moves the Pittsburgh Steelers made this offseason was to ship wide reciever Diontae Johnson and the 240th pick in this year's NFL Draft off to the Carolina Panthers in exchange for cornerback Donte Jackson and the 198th overall pick.

Johnson has been a consistent presence in the Steelers wide receiving corps for the past five seasons and they had invested a two-year, $36 million deal in him before the start of the 2022 season. So what went into the decision to move on from Johnson, right as the organization was bringing in two new quarterbacks and a new offensive coordinator? Head coach Mike Tomlin said the deal had more to do with who they got than who they gave up.

"Really it was simple, man. We traded player for player, we had an opportunity to get [Jackson]," Tomlin said. "D-Jack is a guy that we've evaluated probably several times since he's been in the league - when he came out of LSU, when he faced free agency. We needed some assistance and depth and quality players at that position and so we made the move. They needed Diontae, we needed D-Jack. It was a good exchange."

Johnson went a season without a touchdown pass after signing his extension with the Steelers while dealing with inconsistent quarterback play but he bounced back in 2023. He hauled in 60 fewer passes but raised his yards per catch average to 14.1, the best of his career so far, and caiught five touchdown passes. Johnson also dropped just two passes, the fewest of his career.

The Steelers stand in a precarious spot with their cornerbacks. Joey Porter Jr. was an immediate impact player as a rookie, but the depth behind him is almost nonexistent with Levi Wallace, Patrick Peterson and Levi Wallace no longer under contract. Jackson gives them someone with starting experience but they organization will likely look to continue adding to their defensive backfield throughout the offseason.

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