Like quarterback Kenny Pickett, wide receiver Diontae Johnson was trying to resurrect his career with the Cleveland Browns this summer a couple years after departing the Pittsburgh Steelers. But also like with Pickett, the Browns decided ahead of the NFL roster cutdown deadline not to keep Johnson.
NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reported the Browns released Johnson on Tuesday.
Johnson played five seasons with the Steelers from 2019-23. The team selected him at No. 66 overall in the third round of the 2019 NFL Draft.
He made second-team All-Pro as a rookie returner. Johnson then earned a Pro Bowl nomination as a receiver during Ben Roethlisberger’s final season in 2021.
Since the Steelers traded Johnson in March 2024, Johnson has experienced stints with the Carolina Panthers, Baltimore Ravens, and Houston Texans in addition to the Browns. Johnson will need another team to give him a fifth opportunity in the last two years to continue his NFL career.
Browns Release Former Steelers WR Diontae Johnson
As Steelers fans know, Johnson was a productive but drama-filled receiver while playing in Pittsburgh. There were numerous controversies around Johnson, everything from heated locker room arguments with teammates to appearing to give up on plays to indirectly criticizing the Steelers defense to the media.
All of those controversies happened in 2023.
On March 16, 2024, Johnson was set to receive a $3 million roster bonus. The team traded him to the Panthers for cornerback Donte Jackson before that bonus was owed.
In five NFL seasons, Johnson registered 424 receptions, 4,738 receiving yards and 28 touchdowns in 77 games with the Steelers.
The trade from Pittsburgh sent Johnson’s career into a tailspin. He didn’t produce much with second-year quarterback Bryce Young in Carolina. Things turned around a little for Johnson when the Panthers moved to Andy Dalton behind center briefly in 2024, but then the team dealt Johnson to the Ravens.
The wideout’s return to the AFC North was uneventful outside of the team suspension he received for “conduct detrimental to the team.” Johnson refused to enter Baltimore’s Week 13 matchup versus the Philadelphia Eagles.
The receiver explained why he didn’t want to enter the game during a podcast appearance in July.
“End of third [quarter], going into the fourth over there, they’re like, ‘Tae, we need you.’ I’m like, ‘Nah.’ To me, I’m thinking, ‘I don’t think it’s a good idea for me,’ because I was thinking about, like, my legs. I don’t want to go out there and put bad stuff on film,” said Johnson, via Baltimoreravens.com’s Kevin Eck.
The Ravens waived Johnson on December 20. He finished the season with the Texans, who claimed him off waivers on December 23.
Houston then waived Johnson on January 14. The Ravens actually brought back Johnson off waivers, but he wasn’t eligible for the playoffs and then became a free agent in March.
The Browns signed Johnson to a 1-year, $1.17 million contract in April.
Could Johnson’s NFL Career Be Over?
The Browns parting ways with Pickett wasn’t super surprising given that the team had three other quarterbacks, including two rookies, on the roster.
But Cleveland doesn’t have a deep receiving corps. The fact Johnson didn’t carve out a role with the Browns isn’t a great sign for his NFL future.
According to The Athletic’s Zac Jackson, Johnson wasn’t even all that close to making Cleveland’s roster.
Because of his Pro Bowl pedigree, it’s likely some NFL team will take a flier on Johnson during 2025. But the 29-year-old receiver has experienced a rapid fall from grace.
Johnson now faces an uphill battle back to NFL relevancy.
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