Steelers Fire Sale: Top 5 players who must be traded in 2024

Bad contracts and a fading Steelers culture are why these five players should find a new home in 2024.
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2. Diontae Johnson, WR

As much as I am ready to move on from Kenny Pickett at the quarterback position, no player should be higher on the frontline of a potential Pittsburgh firesale than Diontae Johnson. Johnson's career has been a rollercoaster ride, and that certainly won't change now that he will be entering his 6th NFL season in 2024.

Johnson became a thorn in the side of the Steelers this year, and there were rumors that he became an issue in the locker room -- this was following a scuffle between Johnson and All-Pro safety Minkah Fitzpatrick. In back-to-back weeks this year, Johnson gave up on a live fumble and did nothing to help stop the Bengals from returning the football the other direction. Then he looked like a clown after excessively celebrating a garbage-time touchdown in a blowout loss to the Arizona Cardinals.

There are whispers that Johnson could be traded early in the 2024 offseason. While his ability to run routes and create separation has always been coveted, he is simply not consistent enough for Pittsburgh to put up with his antics.

Despite some of these diva traits, there are plenty of teams with awful wide receivers, and Johnson would no doubt draw interest on the market if available. With a very productive career thus far and the fact that he is still just 27 years old, the Pittsburgh Steelers might be able to fetch as high as a second-round pick for the former Pro Bowl receiver if multiple bidders are involved in a potential trade.