The Pittsburgh Steelers have a huge decision coming up with Diontae Johnson. Do they make him one of the richest receivers in the NFL or wave goodbye soon?
Diontae Johnson gets a really bad rap with Steelers fans. While he has proved to be excellent value as a former third-round draft choice, drops and fumbles are plays that tend to stick in our heads… and there were a lot of them.
In 2020, Johnson managed to lead the league in dropped passes (13) while adding a pair of fumbles, according to Pro Football Reference. These numbers improved immensely in 2021 (5 drops, 2 fumbles) but it’s still hard to get the bad taste out of our mouths.
Entering his fourth NFL season, the Pittsburgh Steelers have a huge decision to make with Johnson. Are they willing to give him a truckload of cash or risk losing him following the 2022 season?
A franchise tag is always an option Pittsburgh could explore, but it’s one that usually doesn’t end well, as Johnson is going to be seeking a long-term deal. We know based on what other receivers have recently gone for that Johnson won’t be cheap. But is he worth the money?
Should Steelers pay Johnson?
After Christian Kirk somehow managed to rake in $18 million per season on his deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars, I knew the WR market was going to be thrown through a loop. I instantly wished that the Steelers would have already gotten their extension done with Johnson.
Immediately following the 2021 season, I’ve seen the projections on Diontae’s next contract in the $15-17 million per year range. However, I knew this wasn’t going to be the case after I saw what quality receivers were going for on the market this offseason.
After some of the recent free-agent deals and extensions, Spotrac reconfigured their estimates for the young, up-and-coming receivers who need contracts. They project Diontae Johnson getting a 4-year, $88 million extension.
This would put his yearly value at a whopping $22 million per season — much higher than originally anticipated. It’s going to be hard to negotiate on this price as well, and his agent knows that. In 2021, Johnson managed 107 catches for 1,161 yards and 8 touchdowns, according to NFL.com. These volume stats alone will ensure that Johnson breaks the bank.
This decision now becomes much more difficult for the Steelers. Paying him $22 million in yearly value would instantly insert Johnson as one of the highest-paid wide receivers in the NFL, and many fans would argue that he’s not worth this much. But what is the alternative?
The Steelers can’t simply let Johnson walk away in free agency next year with nothing to show for it. He’s far too valuable to do that. Some would argue that they could try to let another team sign him and get a third-round compensatory pick in return. While this sounds okay in theory, Pittsburgh will only get a pick that high if they choose not to spend big on anybody in free agency next year.
At the end of the day, I think that the Steelers are going to try to get an extension done with Diontae Johnson. They have only kept a select few receivers on second contracts over the past two decades, but Pittsburgh lacks quality options at WR and they may not have a choice.
It will be interesting to see if that extension gets done before the training camp. If not, I’m not sure what will happen. All I know is that when Diontae Johnson does get paid, he’s going to earn a truckload of money.