- Joined
- Apr 7, 2014
- Messages
- 2,542
- Reaction score
- 4,985
- Points
- 93
The Pittsburgh Steelers have two major holes. One of those is at the safety position. The other is at wide receiver. The Steelers lost a lot of game experience when JuJu Smith-Schuster, James Washington, and Ray-Ray McCloud walked out the door during free agency. They didn’t exactly solidify it when they signed receiver, but mainly return man Gunner Olszewski. They successfully turned McCloud from a successful return man into a viable option in the slot, but it isn’t likely that their plan is to count on Olszewski being a third down option in the passing game.
Now local radio host Andrew Fillipponi from 93.7 the Fan Pittsburgh noted during his show Monday that Diontae Johnson wasn’t present for the first day of voluntary off-season work outs in Pittsburgh. Now the keyword here is voluntary, so take that into account as we don’t know who was even around. Chances are that not many veteran were.
The Steelers are in a tough position with Johnson. Is he the teams best receiver? Yes. But has he been consistent enough to warrant 100 million? In the past that would be a resounding no, but with the way receivers have gotten paid this off-season he is in the conversation. This off-season the price that teams are paying receivers is off the chart. It isn’t just the super stars either. Players like Arizona’s Christian Kirk received a huge contract with incentives it could pay him 84 million.
The numbers for the superstars are even more insane. The Las Vegas Raiders will pay Devante Adams over 28 million per year, and it cost them multiple draft picks just to acquire him. The same goes for Tyree Hill who will also make 28 million per year after signing a new contract with the Miami Dolphins after he was traded there.
Now think about this for a minute to put it into perspective. The Steelers gave Antonio Brown a 4-year extension in 2017 that made him the highest paid receiver in the NFL with an annual salary of 17 million. Talk about inflation.
Johnson isn’t going to be the only big name receiver that’s sitting out if he chooses to do so. Deebo Samuel, A.J. Brown, Terry McLaurin are set to skip offseason programs in search of new contracts, per report.
It’s been reported to SteelerNation.com that Johnson will not be playing in any charity events this off-season like he did last year. That also isn’t an indication that he’s going to hold out, but that he doesn’t want to take a chance at risking an injury.
EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY – DECEMBER 22: JuJu Smith-Schuster #19 carries Diontae Johnson #18 of the Pittsburgh Steelers on his shoulders after Johnson’s touchdown during the first half of the game against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium on December 22, 2019 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
The Steelers are in a tough spot, with Johnson. Not only because of all of the guys who left this off-season, but because they don’t know what to expect from Chase Claypool. He’s shown flashes of greatness, but is he going to mature enough mentally to be a consistant threat? Only he knows that one. They may need to address the receiver position twice early in the draft. If they don’t they should at least take a look at Jarvis Landry. If the Steelers aren’t willing to meet Johnsons’ demands then it could get ugly if he indeed is considering holding out long term.
Last year we knew a solution was coming for TJ Watt, and while he did show up to training camp he didn’t participate in any team drills. That could be something we see from Johnson, and safety Minkah Fitzpatrick if he doesn’t have a new contract yet.
Support SteelerNation by clicking here to read the story..
Now local radio host Andrew Fillipponi from 93.7 the Fan Pittsburgh noted during his show Monday that Diontae Johnson wasn’t present for the first day of voluntary off-season work outs in Pittsburgh. Now the keyword here is voluntary, so take that into account as we don’t know who was even around. Chances are that not many veteran were.
The Steelers are in a tough position with Johnson. Is he the teams best receiver? Yes. But has he been consistent enough to warrant 100 million? In the past that would be a resounding no, but with the way receivers have gotten paid this off-season he is in the conversation. This off-season the price that teams are paying receivers is off the chart. It isn’t just the super stars either. Players like Arizona’s Christian Kirk received a huge contract with incentives it could pay him 84 million.
Steelers Diontae Johnson gets a tattoo in honor of Dwayne Haskins
The numbers for the superstars are even more insane. The Las Vegas Raiders will pay Devante Adams over 28 million per year, and it cost them multiple draft picks just to acquire him. The same goes for Tyree Hill who will also make 28 million per year after signing a new contract with the Miami Dolphins after he was traded there.
Now think about this for a minute to put it into perspective. The Steelers gave Antonio Brown a 4-year extension in 2017 that made him the highest paid receiver in the NFL with an annual salary of 17 million. Talk about inflation.
Johnson isn’t going to be the only big name receiver that’s sitting out if he chooses to do so. Deebo Samuel, A.J. Brown, Terry McLaurin are set to skip offseason programs in search of new contracts, per report.
It’s been reported to SteelerNation.com that Johnson will not be playing in any charity events this off-season like he did last year. That also isn’t an indication that he’s going to hold out, but that he doesn’t want to take a chance at risking an injury.
EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY – DECEMBER 22: JuJu Smith-Schuster #19 carries Diontae Johnson #18 of the Pittsburgh Steelers on his shoulders after Johnson’s touchdown during the first half of the game against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium on December 22, 2019 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
The Steelers are in a tough spot, with Johnson. Not only because of all of the guys who left this off-season, but because they don’t know what to expect from Chase Claypool. He’s shown flashes of greatness, but is he going to mature enough mentally to be a consistant threat? Only he knows that one. They may need to address the receiver position twice early in the draft. If they don’t they should at least take a look at Jarvis Landry. If the Steelers aren’t willing to meet Johnsons’ demands then it could get ugly if he indeed is considering holding out long term.
Last year we knew a solution was coming for TJ Watt, and while he did show up to training camp he didn’t participate in any team drills. That could be something we see from Johnson, and safety Minkah Fitzpatrick if he doesn’t have a new contract yet.
Support SteelerNation by clicking here to read the story..
