The Pittsburgh Steelers have re-signed their main receiving target in Diontae Johnson.
Johnson and the Steelers came to terms on a two-year, $36.71 million extension according to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo.
The #Steelers and WR Diontae Johnson have agreed on a two-year, $36.71 million extension, source says. The sides worked last night and this morning to end his hold-in with a shorter deal than we’ve seen from others that allows him to be a free agent again after the 2024 season.
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) August 4, 2022
This deal will keep Diontae Johnson in Pittsburgh until at least 2024. After that, he will be set to hit free agency.
When asked about the value of his new contract, Diontae Johnson noted that he wasn't about what any of the league's other top receivers were making. He stated, “I’m not worried about what everyone else is making. God got me at the end of the day. This is the right deal for me.”
Diontae Johnson: “I’m not worried about what everybody else is making. God got me at the end of the day. This is the right deal for me.”
— Brooke Pryor (@bepryor) August 4, 2022
Since the start of training camp, Johnson had been a “hold-in”. He was present from the start of camp but chose to not participate in any team drills.
Diontae Johnson has stated that he was willing to hold-in until the start of the season. But that he still wanted to get work done on the field.
Diontae Johnson says he was prepared to hold-in until week 1 if the contract didn’t come together, but he’s been itching to get back out there — that’s why he gradually added more reps with QBs in individuals before the deal got done.
— Brooke Pryor (@bepryor) August 4, 2022
Instead, Diontae Johnson frequently worked with the quarterbacks in individual drills. This allowed him to build a connection with the quarterbacks currently on the Steelers roster. With the Steelers currently in the midst of a quarterback competition, Johnson building a repertoire with all of them could be wise.
Johnson will head into this new season as the primary receiver on this Pittsburgh Steelers team. He is coming off of the best season of his career that ended with a trip to the Pro Bowl.
In 16 games last season, Diontae Johnson recorded 107 receptions, 1,161 receiving yards, and eight total touchdowns.
Diontae Johnson now enters his fourth-year looking to be even better. With a Steelers offense that will rely heavily on him, he could be in for an even better season in 2022.
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