The Steelers, historically, do not often re-negotiate a player’s contract before it expires. Granted, T.J. Watt was that rare exception
However, so was the Steelers situation with Minkah Fitzpatrick. Yet, there is no such urgency surrounding Diontae Johnson.
So with the Start of 2022, Diontae Johnson hinted he might potentially hold while expressing displeasure with his current contract. Sure some could make arguments why he should not have his contract re-negotiated. Nonetheless, He has a justification for demanding a new contract; he has steadily improved each season he played. In three seasons, he has 2764 receiving yards and 20 touchdowns. He is shaping up to be the most productive receiver since Antonio Brown and Hines Ward before that.
Despite his continuous improvement, the Steelers will be a much different team this season. It’s hard to say how the Steelers passing game will fare in the post-Ben Roethlisberger era. No matter how good Diontae Johnson is, he could conceivably not have a great 2022 season as the Steelers adjust to a new signal-caller and wait to see who Big Ben’s eventual heir will be.
Honestly, it’s hard to say how much of that has crossed his mind. However, the one thing that has crossed his mind is the $120 contract Tyreek Hill signed with the Dolphins, making him the highest-paid receiver in NFL history. When Hill and the Dolphins inked the deal, there is little doubt Johnson began thinking of getting a new contract.
Was that the prime factor why he initially chose not to attend OTA’s? Would he have decided not to go to OTA’s if Hill had not gotten that deal? It’s hard to say either way; nevertheless, you know the thought was in his mind despite any claims to the contrary. He tried downplaying any notions that he wants a contract similar to Hills.
Diontae Johnson vs Tyreek Hill
His mindset leads to a larger question. Is Johnson as good as Tyreek Hill? Is he $120 million good? That is a good question and not easily answerable. In comparison Hill in his first three seasons, amassed 3255 yards and 25 touchdowns. Thus Brown is only off Hill’s mark by 491 yards and five touchdowns. So, yes, one could argue that Johnson is in the same league as Hill, and the Steelers should pay him accordingly.
However, here is where that rationale goes off the rails. After completing his first three seasons, Hill posted 3375 yards and another 31 touchdowns from 2019-2021. However, here is the problem as it relates to Johnson. Will Johnson put up numbers close to that in his following three seasons? Yes, he has proven he has the talent.
Could he with the Steelers, though? There is no realistic way, barring some miraculous performance by either Mitch Trubisky or Kenny Pickett in 2022, that Johnson comes close to duplicating his 2021 performance. It will not happen. Though perhaps if he moved to say Buffalo, Green Bay, Tampa Bay. However, he still has to play one additional season in Pittsburgh where he can sit out or play and hope he does well enough to demand being paid on par with Tyreek Hill.
Was Tyreek Hill overvalued?
Keep in mind that JuJu Smith-Schuster missed most of the 2021 season. As a result, Johnson’s workload increased. Now the Steelers have two rookies to offset JuJu’s loss George Pickens and Calvin Austin. We will have to wait to see how they pan out; however, there is a good chance one of them will pick up much of the slack left by JuJu. If that occurs, it will not help Johnson’s stats.
Another thing to keep in mind that no one has said aloud is whether Hill’s value was perhaps a bit overrated? He certainly was a threat for Kansas City, but how much of Hill’s production stemmed from the fact that he had Patrick Mahomes throwing while playing alongside Travis Kelce and Mecole Hardman. He played in one of the top five NFL offenses. As good as Hill is, he is going from the Chiefs to Miami and will now play with Tua Tagoviloa.
He is no Patrick Mahomes despite any claims Hill makes about Tua’s accuracy. So while Hill may be great, seeing him put up the same numbers he did in KC is hard to envision, at least before the start of the NFL season. However, on paper, at least they have made upgrades by signing several offensive free agents in addition to the trade for Tyreek Hill. We will know in a few months if they have vastly improved.
There is little doubt that with the deal Hill signed, Johnson will try to leverage the Steelers for all he can, and before the season if possible. Johnson must realize that Hill will have to show he deserved the deal by producing for the Dolphins. Thus, if Johnson wants to get paid Tyreek Hill money, Johnson will have to have a dynamic 2022 season and prove he is the top receiver in the NFL. Despite what he thinks, Johnson has not reached that plateau quite yet.