Diontae Johnson is entering the last year of the extension he signed back in 2022. Per Over the Cap, Johnson’s cap hit for the 2024 season will be $15,833,334. We have heard the rumors of him doing another hold in this training camp, but we won’t get into that now.

The questions everyone is wondering is easy: What could the Steelers do with him?

Well, they could extend him. He’s coming off a season where he had 51 catches for 717 yards and 5 touchdowns. He missed 3 games with injury and had average quarterback play for most of the season. The year before was the infamous no touchdown season, but he was still at 86 catches for 882 yards. In 2021, Ben Roethlisberger’s last year with the team, Johnson had a 100+ catch year and over 1,000 yards with multiple TDs. Needless to say, he’s been very productive and it wouldn’t be the worst thing to extend him for another year or two.

Why wouldn’t they extend him? There have been some head-scratching moments like running backwards, taking himself out of plays when he may be upset, and not diving on loose balls, just to name a few. As frustrating as that is, Johnson can more than make up for it on the very next play.

What if the Steelers were to move on from him? It would be a big money saver of potentially $10 million dollars.

Why would they move on from Johnson when he still has one year left on his contract? Another reason could be how he fits in Arthur Smith’s offense. Receivers need to block in his scheme, so how willing is Johnson going to be to block? It’s not that he’s the best blocking receiver either.

Aside from this, he’s going into his 6th season. If the Steelers don’t trade him they may just let him walk into free agency after the season, like they have done many times before with receivers like Emmanuel Saunders, Mike Wallace, or JuJu Smith-Schuster. The Steelers will likely take a receiver in the upcoming 2024 NFL Draft, and as they often do, they can come away with a gem. I’m sure they already have a few they like on their offseason radar.

Is it time for George Pickens to be the undisputed top receiver on the team? Maybe so, in which case the Steelers should consider getting what they can for Diontae, go into the draft, and get one of the many receivers in yet another deep WR draft. This would not only make Pickens WR1, but also give Calvin Austin III the opportunity to show he’s more than just a gadget player.

The Steelers probably won’t extend Diontae Johnson and will let him walk into free agency at the end of the year. But we have to ask, why not sell while you can and get another solid receiver in the draft like the Steelers have a knack of doing?

How would you handle Johnson this offseason? Let us know in the comment section below!