Texans Become Fourth Team to Move on From Diontae Johnson in Last Year

We'll see who shows interest for the struggling receiver this offseason.
Houston Texans receiver Diontae Johnson stands on the sidelines during warm-ups.
Houston Texans receiver Diontae Johnson stands on the sidelines during warm-ups. / Brooke Sutton/Getty Images

The Houston Texans waived receiver Diontae Johnson on Tuesday ahead of the team's divisional matchup vs. the Kansas City Chiefs set for Saturday. This makes the Texans the fourth team to move on from Johnson in the past year alone.

Johnson only played in two games for Houston, and ESPN reports that he looked visibly upset after the team's wild-card win vs. the Los Angeles Chargers last weekend because of a lack of targets. The Texans picked Johnson up after he was waived by the Baltimore Ravens on Dec. 20.

Johnson's short stint with the Ravens was overshadowed by a suspension he served due to "conduct detrimental to the team." The wide receiver reportedly refused to enter the game against the Philadelphia Eagles on Dec. 1, resulting in the suspension which was announced on Dec. 4.

The receiver started the 2024 season with the Carolina Panthers, playing in seven games with them. He totaled 357 yards and three touchdowns on 30 catches. He didn't score any touchdowns for the Ravens and Texans. Baltimore picked Johnson up on Oct. 29 ahead of the NFL trade deadline, sending a fifth-round pick for Johnson and a sixth.

Let's not forget that Johnson ended the 2023–24 season with the Pittsburgh Steelers, where he began his career in 2019. He totaled 391 catches for 4,363 yards and 25 touchdowns in his Pittsburgh tenure. He even completed one 1,000-yard season in 2021 during former quarterback Ben Roethlisberger's final NFL season. The Steelers traded Johnson to the Panthers last March.

We'll see who shows interest for a struggling Johnson this offseason.


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Madison Williams
MADISON WILLIAMS

Madison Williams is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated, where she specializes in tennis but covers a wide range of sports from a national perspective. Before joining SI in 2022, Williams worked at The Sporting News. Having graduated from Augustana College, she completed a master’s in sports media at Northwestern University. She is a dog mom and an avid reader.