Steelers rumors: Will Diontae Johnson be traded? Why Sullivan is calling plays explained, another coach on way out?

Diontae Johnson's future with the Steelers

Diontae Johnson was a name speculatively floated frequently around the NFL trade deadline, but the day came and went with Johnson remaining a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Johnson has been one of the more vocal critics of the Steelers offense under Matt Canada, and a clear possible beneficiary under a new regime.

But, will he even suit up in black and yellow under whoever takes over as offensive coordinator moving forward? It's worth questioning.

Johnson, weeks ago, had to be removed from a coach on the sideline in an altercation that got ostensibly physical. We've now also learned that Johnson and Minkah Fitzpatrick got into a physical locker room spat as well in the same game.

Johnson is under contract through next season and, on an expiring deal, could be a logical player for receiver-hungry teams to pursue. His targets and offensive involvement have dwindled despite his success rate at a career-high so far this year.

With the Steelers already making an acknowledgement that the offense isn't working, it may force the team to re-evaluate top-to-bottom. While the first thing the team will address is talent, these kinds of era switch-overs often materialize as times for teams to sell on players who have proven to be issues culturally in the locker room.

It's unclear how Johnson is viewed by his fellow teammates. Though it's easy to jump to the conclusion that he's a headache because of the altercations, there's a chance his teammates and coaches see it instead as passion gone wrong and can understand his frustration, hopeful to instead keep him around and more involved.

If Johnson's issue is a lack of involvement, though, don't expect it to change much straightaway. Ian Rapoport suggests the primary beneficiary will be George Pickens, not Johnson.

That said, if the Steelers are scoring and more importantly winning, it'll be hard to argue against the results.