When wide receiver Diontae Johnson was traded to the Carolina Panthers this offseason, he admitted that he didn’t know who the team’s head coach was. Well, it turns out that it was the head coach who hardly knew Johnson.
The 28-year-old pass catcher is now out of Charlotte, after just seven months as a member of the Panthers. Johnson, perhaps unsurprisingly, was shipped off to the Baltimore Ravens on Tuesday—a move head coach Dave Canales would be asked about this afternoon.
“Dan [Morgan], Brandt [Tilis] and I just talked about the different opportunities that came up and we just kind of collected all the information and made the best decision for all of us,” Canales stated.
Johnson leaves Carolina as the team’s leading receiver, as he amassed 30 receptions for 357 yards and three touchdowns over his seven outings. Coming back in exchange for Johnson is a pretty underwhelming return—one that’ll also see the Panthers pay the majority of his remaining salary for a late-round pick swap.
So, why such a small price for such a productive player?
The Athletic‘s Joe Person asked Canales precisely that.
“Joe, I’m not gonna get into too much of the specifics,” he replied. “A lot of those conversations, we always wanna try to protect and keep in-house. But we kinda just collectively thought that was the best decision for us.”
Johnson, meanwhile, is adjusting to his new digs . . .
First look at Diontae Johnson in his Ravens uni 😈 pic.twitter.com/kCN7HgrMaF
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) October 30, 2024
