Diontae Johnson came to training camp with a strategy as he seeks a new deal.
He isn’t quite holding out because that would subject him to fines, so he reported to camp, but is not fully participating. Johnson, who’s heading into the final year of his rookie contract, is looking to get in on the trend of massive wide receiver paydays.
Prior to the 2021 season, Steelers star pass rusher T.J. Watt had a similar strategy as he went through contract negotiations.
Pittsburgh sports analyst Mark Madden took to Twitter and made one thing very clear with both situations.
“Somebody tell Diontae Johnson he ain’t TJ Watt,” he wrote.
Former Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell responded to the message by suggesting there is a racial issue at hand.
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“[Black hand emoji] [white hand emoji] only difference,” Bell wrote.
The NFL world couldn’t believe he took it there:
“Lmao WHAT?! Hell no. TJ is literally the best edge rusher in the league. I like DJ, and I’m okay extending him, but even the most optimistic Steelers fan won’t have him in the Top 5 WR in the NFL. Quit this crap,” one fan wrote.
“Or the fact that TJ Watt was the defensive player of the year and Diontae Johnson has no accolades to his name,” another added.
The 26-year-old receiver shed some light on his approach, via Brian Batko of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
“I paid attention to Minkah’s situation and T.J.,” Johnson said. “They handled their situation how they handled it, I’m going to handle mine how I handle mine, and that’s how I’m going to go about it.”
While the “hold-in plan” worked for Watt and Fitzpatrick, Johnson isn’t the same caliber player as his All-Pro teammates.
Johnson is coming off a career showing in 2021, totaling 107 receptions for 1,161 yards and eight touchdowns, and wound up in the Pro Bowl.
