The Pittsburgh Steelers have a big decision to make with Diontae Johnson. Here are the pros and cons of handing him a rich, new extension.
The Steelers have a big decision to make in the near future in regards to Diontae Johnson. This isn’t one of those no-brainer decisions like it was when they made T.J. Watt the highest-paid defender in the league.
While Johnson has been pretty good for Pittsburgh, Spotrac recently projected him to earn $22 million in annual money on his next contract. This would instantly insert him into the top-five highest-paid wide receivers in the league.
The market is always changing, but the wide receiver contracts got really messed up this offseason when the Jaguars handed Christian Kirk a four-year, $72 million deal. Agents obviously use these bad contracts as leverage for new extensions for their clients, so it’s not hard to see how Johnson could earn as much as he’s projected to get.
The question is whether or not he would be worth it. Early in his NFL career, Johnson has been rather inconsistent for Pittsburgh. In 2020, he led the NFL in dropped passes while also managing to be one of the best in the league at creating separation.
Johnson has a long NFL career ahead of him and one that could be pretty good if he continues to improve. However, there’s no easy answer when it comes to the idea of awarding him with a lucrative new contract.
In their current state, the Steelers don’t hold a lot of leverage here, as Johnson is clearly their top receiving option. Let’s break down the pros and cons of a potential massive Diontae Johnson contract extension.
Pros of Steelers extending Diontae Johnson
Because of his past drop issues, Johnson gets a pretty bad rap in Pittsburgh, and I’m not so sure that’s fair to him. While drops can be costly, I think they are a stat we tend to put too much stock into. What’s more important is that he can get open on nearly every play. That’s a trait a lot of NFL receivers don’t possess.
In addition, Johnson’s hands were much more consistent last season. Though he missed a few big opportunities late in the year, he was solid for the most part — dropping just 5 balls on 169 targets, according to advanced stats from Pro Football Reference.
On top of becoming a more consistent player last season, Johnson has a lot of other things going for him. He proved to be one of the better ‘X’ receivers in the league (lining up on the lone WR side and beating press coverage). He also has rare change of direction ability and is one of the more elusive receivers after the catch.
What could make this potential extension worth it is that Johnson is still just 25 years old and should have his best years ahead of him. Considering that he’s already been a 100-catch, 1,000-yard receiver, this is pretty encouraging.
With a younger, more efficient quarterback at the helm, Johnson’s efficiency has the potential to skyrocket as well. In time, we might be viewing him as a legitimate top-10 receiver in the NFL.
Cons of Steelers extending Diontae Johnson
Just like there are pros for extending Diontae Johnson, there are an equal number of cons. For starters, the money they would be forced to tie into him would be significant. Because the wide receiver market got reset with some iffy deals this offseason, the Steelers would be forced to follow suit with Johnson — instantly making him one of the highest-paid players on the team.
There’s also no guarantee that Johnson is going to continue to progress or that he will have a better season than the one we saw last year. While he became more consistent in 2021, Johnson has a lengthy history of drops and fumbles, and it stands to reason that these issues could return at any time.
In addition, Johnson might be lacking the high-end traits to be a true WR1 in the NFL. While he has drawn the Antonio Brown comparison at times in the past, he’s no AB on the field. Johnson has a good blend of quickness, route-running, and ability after the catch, but he’s not necessarily elite at anything.
Because of this, the Steelers could be paying top-dollar to a WR2, by NFL standards. We could find that — in a year or two — Johnson just isn’t worth the money he’s getting. But after the team locks themselves into some hefty guarantees, it will be harder to move on or even find talent at other positions in free agency in the future because of the money tied to him.
I ultimately believe that the Steelers will pay Johnson (out of necessity, if nothing else), but fans are split on whether or not this will prove to be the right decision. If they do extend him, let’s hope that he continues to improve at a fast rate.