The Baltimore Ravens have agreed in principle with the Carolina Panthers to a trade for WR Diontae Johnson, executive vice president and general manager Eric DeCosta announced Tuesday.
Here are several notes about the 5-10, 183-pound Johnson:
- A six-year pro, Johnson, 28, who was selected by the Steelers in the third round (66th overall) of the 2019 NFL Draft, spent the first five years (2019-23) of his career in Pittsburgh before being acquired in a trade by the Carolina Panthers on March 13, 2024.
- Johnson, a 2021 Pro Bowler, has appeared in 84 regular season games (74 starts), totaling 421 receptions for 4,720 yards and 28 touchdowns, while adding 140 ground yards on 21 attempts. He's also contributed on special teams, registering 28 punt returns for 306 yards (10.9 avg.) and one touchdown. In three postseason appearances (all starts), he's tallied 20 receptions for 199 yards and two touchdowns.
- Johnson is one of 12 players since 2019 with at least 420 receptions, 4,700 receiving yards and 28 receiving touchdowns, joining the likes of Davante Adams, Keenan Allen, Stefon Diggs, Chris Godwin, Tyreek Hill, Justin Jefferson, Travis Kelce, Cooper Kupp, CeeDee Lamb, Tyler Lockett and DJ Moore.
- Johnson owns six 100-yard receiving outings in regular season action, reaching the century mark as recently as Week 3 at Las Vegas (9/22/24). He also eclipsed 100 receiving yards in his first-career postseason outing (1/10/21 vs. Cleveland).
- Through seven games with the Panthers in 2024, Johnson has recorded 30 catches for 357 yards and three touchdowns. He's posted at least 600 receiving yards in each of his previous five full NFL seasons (2019-23), while also finding the end zone at least five times in four of them (all but 2022).
- Appearing in 16 games (14 starts) with Pittsburgh in 2021, Johnson set career highs in receptions (107), receiving yards (1,161) and receiving touchdowns (eight), en route to earning Pro Bowl honors.
- Johnson led all rookie receivers with 59 receptions in 2019, while also tallying 680 receiving yards and five receiving touchdowns. He earned second-team All-Pro honors as a punt return specialist, after posting 248 yards and one touchdown on 20 opportunities, leading all qualifying players with a 12.4 yards-per-punt return average.
- Johnson, a Tampa, Fla., native, prepped collegiately at Toledo (2015-18), where he totaled 137 receptions for 2,276 yards and 24 touchdowns, while adding 1,894 kickoff return yards and two kickoff return touchdowns to go with 343 punt return yards and two punt return touchdowns. Johnson earned first-team All-MAC honors as both a wide receiver and returner in two consecutive seasons (2017-18), and in 2018, he was named the MAC Special Teams Player of the Year.
