When the Carolina Panthers traded for Diontae Johnson last offseason, it looked like a great move. Carolina needed weapons for quarterback Bryce Young and while Johnson was coming off a slightly disappointing 2023 season, he still looked to be the best receiver on the Panthers roster.
That, uhh ... yeah ... uhh ...
2024 was a nightmare for Johnson, who actually got off to a decent start with Carolina, catching 30 passes for 357 yards and three touchdowns in seven games. But then in October, the Panthers trade Johnson to Baltimore and everything fell apart.
Johnson appeared in four games for the Ravens, catching one pass for six yards. He was eventually suspended by the team for refusing to enter a game and then was waived.
The Texans claimed him off waivers, perhaps with the thought that he could help the team replace the injured Stefon Diggs and Tank Dell down the stretch and into the playoffs. Johnson caught two passes for 12 yards in his one regular season game with the team, but after catching a pass in the team's first playoff game, Houston waived Johnson.
Now, the 28-year-old hits free agency and the market is likely to be rough. However, it's not impossible for Johnson to bounce back. Here are four teams that should kick the tires on signing Johnson to a cheap deal in free agency.
Las Vegas Raiders
This just feels like a Raiders move, right? Grab a mercurial wide receiver at a discounted rate and see if he can stick?
The Raiders have one very talented receiver in Jakobi Meyers and another upside youngster in Tre Tucker, but the team could use another weapon. Johnson has shown that he can make plays in the underneath passing game, which would help open things up deep for Tucker, who was 21st among wide receivers in deep targets last year despite being just 48th in total targets.
Johnson also has plenty of experience succeeding despite a questionable quarterback situation, and that appears to be what we're heading for in Vegas. Maybe Aidan O'Connell starts. Maybe the team turns to Desmond Ridder. Maybe it tries to sign a low-cost veteran to compete.
Dallas Cowboys
What good is it to have one of the league's best wide receivers if your lack of other weapons means that defenses know where the ball is going?
CeeDee Lamb is an elite receiver, but in 2024 his receiving yards per game dropped from 102.9 to 79.6. Obviously, a lot of that was the quarterback situation in Dallas as a Dak Prescott injury led to Cooper Rush starting eight games, but another part was that Dallas' second-best receiver was Brandin Cooks, whose production plummeted in his age-31 season.
Jerry Jones isn't going to care about locker room concerns with Johnson. If he thinks he can get solid production from the former Steelers star, he'll consider making that move. Signing Johnson would allow Lamb to play even more from the slot, a spot where he's at his best.
New England Patriots
There might not be an NFL team in more need of talent at wide receiver than the New England Patriots.
There's no guarantee that Drake Maye is going to be a star in New England, but he flashed enough potential as a rookie that the team has to go out and get him some weapons this offseason. Because the current cast of players at receiver in Foxborough ain't gonna cut it.
Last year's leading receiver was tight end Hunter Henry, who caught 66 passes for 674. Among wideouts, the top guy was Demario Douglas, who had 66 caches for 621 yards and three touchdowns. Kayshon Boutte caught 43 passes for 589 yards an three scores. Kendrick Bourne had 28 receptions for 305 yards and one score.
That's just not a very menacing lineup, is it? Douglas and Boutte have upside, but neither profiles as No. 1 receiver in the NFL. Ideally, New England adds two names this offseason.
While one of those names should be a big-name free agent or either Travis Hunter or Tetairoa McMillan with the No. 4 pick, the other likely should be more of a value option, whether that be a Day 2 receiver in the draft or by signing a veteran like Diontae Johnson.
Sure, bringing in Johnson is risky after how his 2024 campaign ended, but the Patriots desperately need wide receiver talent, and no offense to the organization but...it's not the most appealing situation for a free agent, so a Davante Adams, Stefon Diggs or Chris Godwin type player might have better options. That's why taking a shot on a talented (but frustrating) guy like Johnson represents one possible path forward for this New England team this offseason.
Seattle Seahawks
Stability has been a hallmark of the Seahawks wide receiver room lately. Tyler Lockett has been there since 2015. D.K. Metcalf has been there since 2019. With Jaxon Smith-Njigba emerging as a strong option as well, it didn't look like Seattle would need to add receivers.
But Lockett was released this week to save cap space after 10 seasons and Metcalf demanded a trade, so suddenly the receiving depth in Seattle is gone. There's JSN, and then there's...Jake Bobo.
So it would make some sense to kick the tires on Johnson. He can play a Lockett-esque role on this team and it would alleviate some of the pressure on Smith-Njigba, who is about to be asked to take a big step up in role with Metcalf and Lockett gone.