Deonte Johnson wants Black & Gold

[Drink IRON City]

Steelers WR1 Diontae Johnson Wants To Stay In Black And Gold, Focusing On Football For Now

The Pittsburgh Steelers have two players focused on getting contract extensions in superstars Minkah Fitzpatrick and Diontae Johnson. While Fitzpatrick will not address the media at OTA’s, Johnson did so on Tuesday. While he made it clear he wants to get paid his worth, he also clarified to...

www.steelernation.com

A home page article that says DJ want to be here, in B & G. He says he can only control what he can do and that's be here working hard.

Nothing is indicated of a hiold out and his agent will get the contract done.

He will play this year and let the contract take care of itself.

I'm still in the boat of paying him market value. He isn't just some run of the mill WR looking for big money. He has the good numbers and is working hard at bettering himself which has shown on the field of play.

Some here say let him walk if more than 15mil but I bet we pay more in the 16.5 to 18 mil to keep him long term.

I just want them to get it done so there is no distractions. I'd seem to think the delay is due to the team wanting to lock up Minka first.




Salute the nation

 

[slashsteel]

Really interested in how the Steelers view him as his worth. Provided he stays healthy he should get offered a solid contract. But if they low ball him it will be because they aren't interested in investing long term.

 

[Superman]

he might be a bit soft ( @Hines57 ) but has made progress since being drafted. I'd not want us to be reliant on Floppsy the Invisible Hurdle Jumper on the other side.

 

[madinsomniac]

Id sign that dude right now…

Lets say we get him for 15 or 16 mil per… then lets say Claypool breaks out big this year and is due a raise… DJ will be super tradeable… he has accomplished a ton and is tge route runner everyone wants. His drops are overblown due to one extremely bad year.. and that was all technical and falls on coaching…

 

[bermudasteel]

DJ isn't AB but he's coming along. The kid seems to have his head on straight and I agree that his 'dropsies' have reduced dramatically.

Until we see Pickens and Austin (in a real game) - he's the BEST WR when it comes to separating and getting open.

If all pans out---our top 4 WRs could be deadly pairing Muth and Najee in the seams and flats.

JMO,
Berm

 

[Drink IRON City]

Id sign that dude right now…

Lets say we get him for 15 or 16 mil per… then lets say Claypool breaks out big this year and is due a raise… DJ will be super tradeable… he has accomplished a ton and is tge route runner everyone wants. His drops are overblown due to one extremely bad year.. and that was all technical and falls on coaching…

DJ worked hard on limiting his drops. He went from 17 two seasons ago to ONLY 5 this last season, quite an improvement.

You are right on tradability but hopefully he continues his upward drive and we keep him full term contract.

I'm more worried about Claypool taking the GIANT leep we need from him along with his maturity spike as well.



Salute the nation

 

[Drink IRON City]

DJ isn't AB but he's coming along. The kid seems to have his head on straight and I agree that his 'dropsies' have reduced dramatically.

Until we see Pickens and Austin (in a real game) - he's the BEST WR when it comes to separating and getting open.

If all pans out---our top 4 WRs could be deadly pairing Muth and Najee in the seams and flats.

JMO,
Berm

Great post berm, I too am looking forward to Pickens & Austin in game speed action.

The biggest question is O'Canada, can he elevate to what is needed.?

I think we have the personal, now we just need the coaching to step up as well.



Salute the nation

 

[jitter77]

Best case for us would be for DJ to have a great year along with the young guys. The price for WRs was astronomical last year and if DJ breaks out and the guys behind him are solid we could get a great return for him. Just hope that our QBs / Oline / playcalling do not hinder his abilities. I think if DJ was on a good offensive team he could e in the upper tier of WRs.

 

[TDX27]

I think he and his agent are looking for at least $20 million. I wouldn't pay him that. I'd pay him closer to $15 million but some team will pay him north of $20 million in free agency. I just don't see it. He's not a top 10 WR and possibly not even top 20. I rattled off a quick list of guys I'd take over him and without much thought, I got to about 20. I might go as high as $18 million as DIC mentioned but not $20 million and not north of $20. Minkah's deal will get done before the season. I doubt they do much with DJ. They may float an offer to him but I don't think they put much effort into signing him before this season.

 

[Superman]

Please stop using "leap" and "elevate" when discussing Claypool. He does enough jumping on his own - and 90% of the time for zero reason.

 

[black and gold apex]

Johnson had a good year compared to what ... our receivers that did not do so well. Way too many drops in key situations by our group. Can't see Steelers paying big bucks for Johnson. He has the protentional and we all know Tomlin loves that so who knows.

 

[TDX27]

Boz will get his half a million raise before DJ as well.

 

[Shane Falco]

Idk- I would slow roll his contract extension talks. With the potential of Pickens- he could quietly take over a top spot of the WR corps. If Claypool happens to step up this year as well Johnson becomes expendable/trade-able.

 

[Hypocycloids]

And the Black and Gold wants Dionte Johson to hang on to the ball for crying out loud!

 

[TDX27]

DJ won't get an extension before this season anyhow unless he takes a low offer like $15 million. They may not even make him an offer. Minkah will get signed and that probably won't happen until right before the season starts. There won't be time to negotiate DJ. They will probably sign Boz to an extension before DJ as well.

 

[SteelerFanRC]

A lot may depend on whether there really is a "franchise quarterback" among those currently on the roster. Yeah, I know that Pickett is a star to some of you but maybe we should slow down a bit. It makes no sense throwing money at a wide receiver when we are not really sure there is a franchise guy throwing the ball.

 

[SteelerFan448]

I think Diontae is very good and has some unique skills. He also isn't a Hines Ward, Antonio Brown, John Stallworth, or even Santonio Holmes. With Claypool on the roster for at least another year and two rookies from this draft, the Steelers message isn't that of a team who looks to be ready to sign DJ to a long-term contract.

 

[F83]

because the jags kirk deal we will at best hope he can settle for a hometown discount at 4 years 16. mill-17 16-18 SB and DJ is proven while Kirk mostly played as a slot, no one was gonna bid 17 its like they have some plan to make him the next wes Welker and Lawrence copy and execute all those slot shakes that wes used to as Kirk is a decdent Wr but I dont think there would of been a fight if the first offer was 10 mill a year

 

[SteelerInLebanon]

DJ won't get an extension before this season anyhow unless he takes a low offer like $15 million. They may not even make him an offer. Minkah will get signed and that probably won't happen until right before the season starts. There won't be time to negotiate DJ. They will probably sign Boz to an extension before DJ as well.

Well you got that one wrong, I bet we get DJ signed as well.

 

[TDX27]

Well you got that one wrong, I bet we get DJ signed as well.

Minkah was a given. It was just a matter of when. He knew what he wanted and Rooney knew how much he was going to pay. It doesn't sound like there was much haggling going on there. DJ and his agent want to test free agency and get one of those $20+ million per year contracts. If the Steelers offer him that, they are fools. WR's just aren't worth the money being thrown around right now. I'd make him that $15 million offer he was supposedly looking at prior to FA and see if he's still interested. If not, let him play out the season. If our other WR's are looking good, maybe you tag DJ next year or maybe you don't. And then look to draft another WR. I think drafting a WR almost every year and keeping that stream of good, young WR's going is how they should approach things instead of paying a guy $25 million who touches the ball a handful of times during a game. DJ is good. He is NOT great. He is NOT a top 10 WR. He probably isn't even a top 20 WR. If our other WR's play well this year, I expect DJ's numbers to take a hit.

 

[Drink IRON City]

Minkah was a given. It was just a matter of when. He knew what he wanted and Rooney knew how much he was going to pay. It doesn't sound like there was much haggling going on there. DJ and his agent want to test free agency and get one of those $20+ million per year contracts. If the Steelers offer him that, they are fools. WR's just aren't worth the money being thrown around right now. I'd make him that $15 million offer he was supposedly looking at prior to FA and see if he's still interested. If not, let him play out the season. If our other WR's are looking good, maybe you tag DJ next year or maybe you don't. And then look to draft another WR. I think drafting a WR almost every year and keeping that stream of good, young WR's going is how they should approach things instead of paying a guy $25 million who touches the ball a handful of times during a game. DJ is good. He is NOT great. He is NOT a top 10 WR. He probably isn't even a top 20 WR. If our other WR's play well this year, I expect DJ's numbers to take a hit.

I think DJ is in the top twenty, easily. I also think he will NOT get 20 mil but will be targeted at 16-18.5 mil and I'd sign him at that. BEST receiver on the team. Kahn's new job will make him think yes but his money experience will hold down the contract somewhat.

Glad I'm not the craptologist needed to make the cap work. GM Kahn will get it right both money and year(s).



Salute the nation

 

[TDX27]

DJ has good numbers but I think it was more out of necessity than him being a great WR. I easily rattled off 20 WR's I'd take over him months ago without putting much thought into it and I could do it again. I can see them going up to $18 million as well just to get him signed now but if they go higher than that, I just don't see it. He's signed this year. They can still tag him next year and draft another WR. They still need to see what Claypool and this years 2 draft picks are going to do. Paying a good WR, not great/elite, more than $20 million is just crazy. There truly aren't many WR's in the entire league worth more than $20 million. This offseason was crazy and I think things will settle back down. I would have loved to get a 1 for DJ. He is better than the Rats Brown and they got a 1 for him. Just a crazy offseason.

 

[suncitysteel]

Paying a good WR, not great/elite, more than $20 million is just crazy. There truly aren't many WR's in the entire league worth more than $20 million. This offseason was crazy and I think things will settle back down. I would have loved to get a 1 for DJ. He is better than the Rats Brown and they got a 1 for him. Just a crazy offseason.

Those Kirk and Kupp contracts sure blew the WR market $kyhigh. But the Steelers don't need to overpay... we draft good/great WRs better than just about any team. We can - historically speaking - lose a Thigpen, Holmes, Wallace, Brown, Smith-Schuster, and come back within a year or two with a new guy or two that'll be cheaper and just as good or better in most cases.

Oh, and we draft WRs much better than the Rats (you know, the perennial preseason champs if you listed to the talking heads).

 

[Coach]

A 5'10" 185 pound receiver who has short skinny arms, can't block a lick, has inconsistent hands who probably has the lowest yard per catch average in football ( Among the lowest of the WR's ) wants how much? Let him walk. Better yet trade him for a second round pick if possible! He's not that good.

 

[Wolf44]

Good not great player who does not move the needle and teams don't have to game plan for. He is not a #1 receiver and to overpay him will limit what we can do if Claypool breaks through. Rather trade him or let him walk than overpay for a top 30 talent instead of a top 10 which is how he will want to get paid.