CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Last Thursday in what turned out to be his final media scrum as a member of the Carolina Panthers, Diontae Johnson kept his hoodie cinched tight around his head, talked in a quiet voice and discussed whether he planned to practice and/or play the rest of the week.
“It depends on how I’m feeling,” Johnson said. “I come every day like I’m gonna go out there and practice, based on how I’m feeling. If it still hurts, I’m not gonna put myself at risk and keep trying to make things worse. I’m just taking it a day at a time and we’ll see on Sunday.”
Johnson did not end up practicing or playing again for the Panthers as it became more and more clear his days with the organization were coming to a close. The end of Johnson’s seven-game cameo in Charlotte — shorter even than Frank Reich’s — arrived Tuesday afternoon when the Panthers traded their leading receiver to the Baltimore Ravens along with a pick swap.
The Panthers received the Ravens’ fifth-round pick in 2025 in exchange for the Panthers’ sixth, which figures to be a fairly small gap on the draft board given the direction both franchises are headed this year. Carolina also is kicking in about $2.9 million of the $3.5 million Johnson is owed for the rest of the season, The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec reported.
Last Thursday in what turned out to be Diontae Johnson’s last media scrum as a member of the Panthers. pic.twitter.com/UOTMViQRPM
— Joe Person (@josephperson) October 29, 2024
That’s how ready Dan Morgan, Dave Canales and others were ready to move on from Johnson, who was dealt a week before the trade deadline and 7 1/2 months after the Panthers acquired him in a trade with the Pittsburgh Steelers for cornerback Donte Jackson and another swap of draft picks.
The Panthers knew what they were getting in Johnson: A receiver who could separate from coverage but one with a history of pouting when he didn’t get the ball and dumping on his quarterbacks. The latter made Johnson a curious choice for Canales, an uber-positive coach from the tree of the uber-positive Pete Carroll looking to establish a culture in Carolina.
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But the Panthers were desperate to give Bryce Young receivers who could get open. When they chose not to extend Johnson, this always felt like a rental. But this one was short even by the Panthers’ standards.
The hope was Johnson would produce and comport himself like a No. 1 receiver while playing for his next contract. He mostly did the former, not so much the latter.
Johnson didn’t hide his displeasure with Young’s slow start, and was better after Andy Dalton replaced Young in Week 3. During Dalton’s first four starts, Johnson was targeted 43 times and had three games with at least 78 receiving yards.
The good times didn’t last.
After not practicing before the Week 7 game at Washington, Johnson ran a bad route that resulted in an interception for Dalton, who responded by slamming his helmet and yelling on the sideline. Johnson finished with one catch (on three targets) for 17 yards in the 40-7 loss, his final game in a Panthers’ uniform.
Afterward, Johnson took no responsibility for the interception while casting blame elsewhere.
“I mean, frustrated,” Johnson said, “but I can’t play every position on the field and make every play. Everybody’s gotta do their job, when it comes down to it.”
So while the Panthers will clear the air of Johnson’s diva vibes, they’re also jettisoning their shiftiest receiver and best route runner. But they’re 1-7 and weren’t going to pay Johnson in the offseason. So getting a little something for him (meager though it was) and giving young receivers Xavier Legette and Jalen Coker more opportunities with Young or Dalton isn’t the worst idea.
If I were the GM, I would have seen if a team more desperate for a receiver than Baltimore would have given me a fourth — or at least not required a sixth in return for its fifth. But the word was out around the league that Morgan had put a “for sale” sign on Johnson, so he had little in the way of leverage.
So Johnson returns to the AFC North with the Ravens, who 10 years ago acquired a Panthers receiver in their bid to win another Super Bowl. Given how Steve Smith got his “blood and guts” revenge on his old team, it’s probably best Baltimore isn’t on the Panthers’ schedule this year.
(Photo: Jared C. Tilton / Getty Images)
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