The Pittsburgh Steelers took their first big step towards re-tooling their offense by hiring their new Offensive Coordinator, Arthur Smith. While the hire has been met with mixed emotions, it has also raised other questions, such as what will the Steelers do about their quarterback situation and which offensive players will return? This includes looking at the team's wide receiving corps, including Diontae Johnson, who is entering his sixth season in Pittsburgh.
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Steelers' Arthur Smith as head coach of the Atlanta Falcons.
Johnson, as well as his counterpart George Pickens, have taken a lot of heat from fans for their antics. However, they have also both shown flashes of brilliance and Johnson was even selected to the Pro Bowl at the end of 2021.
In 2022, Johnson signed a two-year, $36,710,000 contract to stay in Pittsburgh. This included a $17.5 million signing bonus and $27 million guaranteed, with an average base salary of $18.355 million. But is he worth that? Recently, one Steelers insider weighed in on whether or not Johnson was "worth" his most recent contract and if he believed the organization would offer the receiver an extension.
Has Steelers' Diontae Johnson Been Worth The Money?
Bob Labriola is the editor at Steelers.com and has a lot of insight into what is happening with the team. He does a column called Asked and Answered where he responds to questions sent in by fans. He was asked about Johnson's contract and the odds of the Steelers offering an extension.
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Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett (8) celebrates Diontae Johnson's (18) first touchdown in 22 games.
He started out by saying that he usually doesn't take these kinds of questions because it always seems like the person has an opinion they just wanted validated. He also said that as far as he is concerned, an outsider can't determine "value" since that is really up to the person signing the checks and spending the money.
"I'm not going to predict a contract extension for Diontae Johnson this offseason, and I also don't believe it's realistic that the team would cut ties with him this offseason either," wrote Labriola.
Labriola added that he does think that the Steelers are in the process of re-tooling their offense and the first step in that process was the apparent hiring of Smith. At the time Labriola wrote his column, Smith had not signed a contract, so he did not want to elaborate on his thoughts on the hire until the team made it official.
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Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett (8) should benefit from getting Diontae Johnson back on the field in 2024.
The quarterback situation also plays a role in what happens with the wide receivers. Labriola reminded readers that Steelers President Art Rooney II recently said that the team still feels good about Kenny Pickett. That being said, Labriola acknowledges that Pickett needs to make progress. He obviously wasn't where he or the team wanted to be in 2023. Hopefully, the new coordinator will be able to help Pickett make that progress.
"So since the team is trying to upgrade its offense and wants to help the quarterback it selected in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft take the next step in his development, that makes it clear their process will include Johnson. He has shown himself to be a worthy NFL starter at the position, he's the team's top pure route-runner, and he's either the best or the second-best all-around receiver on the roster. Add all of that up, and it should make clear to you that Diontae Johnson is 'worth' keeping through the 2024 season."
During his five-year career, Johnson has had 391 receptions on 639 targets. He's averaging 11.2 yards per catch and has scored 25 touchdowns. There have been questions about his character or maturity however, like the time he and Minkah Fitzpatrick almost came to blows. There were also the comments he made to the media complaining about the officials or making excuses for why they lost a game they should have won. Pickens has displayed some similar behaviors that include pouting on the sidelines, but there is a belief that the new coordinator will work with the receivers to reel them in.
There has been a lot of talk about all of the talent on the Steelers' offense that just wasn't used properly under previous Offensive Coordinator, Matt Canada. If that is truly the biggest part of why the offense wasn't able to move the ball down the field consistently, then Smith and his play-action-style offense should be a huge help.
Do you think the Steelers should bring Johnson back in 2024? Click to comment below.
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