“It Is What It Is”: Pittsburgh Steelers WR Diontae Johnson Reacts to Trade Rumors

The Pittsburgh Steelers might be out in the market to get another wide receiver. Reportedly, things are not working out with their WR Diontae Johnson. The WR signed a two-year extension with the franchise and it’s his last year with the Steelers. Some sports analysts believe that the Steelers will trade him this off-season.

After the rumors spread out, it didn’t take long for Diontae Johnson to express his opinion on X. His posts on X have been cryptic and the WR hasn’t exactly revealed anything about what’s in store for him in this off-season. Since the last couple of days, the Steelers have been showing interest in other WRs, which made people think that their stint with Johnson is most probably ending.

Diontae Johnson stays cryptic about the trade rumors

With the end of the 2023-2024 season, the teams are looking for a fresh start. It includes trading players, recruiting new athletes, and restructuring for many teams. One such unit is the Pittsburgh Steelers who seem to hint toward a possible change in their wide receiver position. Their WR Diontae Johnson appears to have an honest stance concerning the same. It started with his latest post on X, “It is what it is…️” A couple of minutes before he wrote this on X, he also commented, “People just be talkin ..” 

While no further clarification was provided by the football player regarding his statements, the latter comment was initiated in response to Tony Pauline. “While it’s not fair to say Johnson is on the trading block, several people tell me the Steelers are open to moving the receiver if they receive fair compensation,” is what Tony Pauline speculated.

As the speculation grows more and more each day, the fans have not been taking these rumors kindly. Most of them think that Diontae Johnson does a phenomenal job and the Steelers need to make other changes that accommodate Johnson in the team. A fan on X wrote, “No way y’all thought Diontae Johnson was gonna spend his contract year with a QB ranked 40/32”,

While another said, “Diontae Johnson has 100+ catch/1K yards a year potential if used correctly. A chain mover…mans always open and yall talking about trading THAT? ️” The WR did try to address these rumors in his latest X post. However, at one point it seemed like a reply to Tony Pauline.

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Nonetheless, the message looked cryptic without any solid information regarding the probable trade rumors. One thing is evident though that the WR did acknowledge the QB issue persisting with the Steelers.

Diontae John addressing the QB issues with the Steelers

There is more to this lore than what appears on the surface. In the past, the Steelers WR expressed his disappointment in QB1 Kenny Pickett and endorsed Mason Rudolph to be the starting QB of the team.

“I’ve been knowing how Mason plays since my rookie year, so it wasn’t nothing I wasn’t expecting for him not to do,” said Johnson and added, “I kind of had high hopes of him doing what he’s been doing when he became the starter. Like I said, hopefully he gets the job next year, and do what he’s got to do, but he did a great job in my opinion.”

However, Mike Tomlin revealed that Kenny Pickett will remain QB1 once he gets better. Another thing to note is that Mason Rudolph is turning free agent this year and there’s no telling if the Steelers would have him around for the next season. Would Diontae Johnson leave the Steelers? Who would be the QB1 next season? What do you think?

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