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Brooke Pryor, ESPN Staff Writer
PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Steelers are shipping wide receiver Diontae Johnson to the Carolina Panthers for cornerback Donte Jackson and a pick swap, league sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Tuesday.
The Steelers are sending the Panthers a seventh-round draft pick in addition to the receiver and receiving a sixth-round pick with the cornerback.
Johnson was the Steelers’ most experienced wide receiver and longest-tenured offensive player. A third-round pick in the 2019 draft, he is in the final year of his contract and comes with a $15.8 million cap hit. Jackson, meanwhile, has spent his entire career in Carolina after being selected in the second round of the 2018 draft. He started 16 games in 2023 after an Achilles injury prematurely ended his 2022 season. Jackson is scheduled to have a similar cap hit to Johnson, counting $15.7 million against the cap in the final year of his deal.
A season after not scoring a single touchdown, Johnson had five touchdown receptions and 717 receiving yards on 51 catches in 2023. Johnson also earned a Pro Bowl nod in 2021 with his lone 1,000-yard season and career-high eight touchdown receptions in quarterback Ben Roethlisberger’s final year.
In five seasons with the Steelers, Johnson racked up 4,363 receiving yards on 391 catches and 25 touchdowns.
Johnson earned criticism in 2023 for his apparent lack of effort on a play against the Cleveland Browns when he didn’t go for a loose ball, and drew ire from fans for a drop-laden season in 2020. But Johnson earned frequent praise from teammates and coaches for his route-running and ability to get open.
Johnson’s departure coupled with Allen Robinson’s release creates a need at wide receiver, though George Pickens is a clear threat in the passing game, and the team has an up-and-coming talent in Calvin Austin III.
Adding Jackson, though, fills a necessary void in the secondary with the release of Patrick Peterson. Adding a cornerback to pair with second-year player Joey Porter Jr. was a priority, and Jackson is a start to filling out that position with a veteran player.