This off-season for the Pittsburgh Steelers and the NFL as a whole has been nothing short of incredible. This is one of the most interesting off-seasons in recent memory, with the QB carousel and the booming WR market headlining. We're struck with breaking news, and just when we believe it's over and there won't be anymore, there's more. That pattern continued this week, with the news that San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel requested a trade. This brings me to today's topic. The issue of whether the Steelers should trade Diontae Johnson or extend him has been a topic of discussion among Steeler supporters on Twitter. I'll make a case for and against extending him, as well as what I think should happen.
Argument for:
This team can't afford to trade Johnson, to put it bluntly. This isn't the case with Antonio Brown, where they had a guy like JuJu Smith-Schuster waiting in the wings. They don't have a WR1 or even a proven WR who can start and contribute on a weekly basis besides Chase Claypool. Sure, they can draft WRs in this deep draft class, and yes, they can sign one or two free agents, but none of them can match Johnson's production in this offense. You might think that paying Johnson $20 million is a bit excessive, but given how much he has progressed year after year, it could turn out to be a bargain in a year or two. Looking at his stats since joining the league, there is reason to be optimistic. He's improved in practically every stat, and he demonstrated last season that he can be a WR1 in this league.
Overall, the Steelers need a player like Johnson to make life easier for whoever is playing QB, and honestly, they could afford to overpay him in this robust WR market.
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Argument against:
The WR market is insane right now. Ever since the Jacksonville Jaguars overpaid Christian Kirk, we’ve seen guys like Davante Adams and Tyreek Hill get traded simply because they wanted bigger deals. If you're Diontae Johnson, you're probably thinking that if Kirk can earn close to $21 million, you're worth a lot more. I believe he is better than Kirk and should be compensated accordingly, but do you really want to pay Johnson more than $22 million? That's a ridiculous amount of money to pay to a WR, especially one who struggles with drops. Last season, Johnson had a lot of drops near the end of the season, and it really affected the team. Given the current state of the wide receiver market, Johnson's value may never be higher. When you consider that the Steelers don't have a lot of assets, trading Johnson might be the smart move in the long run.
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This is a really difficult decision to make. On one hand, Johnson has improved year after year and has proven that he has the potential to be a true WR1 in this league. However, he also has drop concerns and will most likely seek a large contract, therefore I believe the Steelers should not extend him. It's difficult because not extending him would leave the Steelers with a significant offensive deficit and would result in the loss of a valuable player. However, his value is at an all-time high right now, and dealing him might net the Steelers a second-round or maybe a first-round pick, given how wild this off-season has been. Regardless, it will be fascinating to see how this plays out.
Should the Steelers trade Diontae Johnson? Let us know what you think in the comments section below.
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