The Houston Texans have decided to waive wide receiver Diontae Johnson after just two games with the organization. This news comes 72 hours after the Houston Texans won their playoff matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers, advancing to the divisional round against the Kansas City Chiefs.

The 28-year-old receiver’s journey with Houston was very brief, and you could say the same about his time with Carolina and Baltimore, being on three different squads in the 2024 season alone. That begs the question… is it over for Diontae Johnson?

First, what happened in Houston? After the Texans lost Stefon Diggs earlier in the year, followed by a horrific knee injury to Tank Dell late in the season, Houston kicked the tires on Diontae Johnson and picked him off waivers. Houston only has Nico Collins to rely on and with Diontae Johnson’s skillset, he could prove valuable in what would be a playoff run for Houston.

Already thin at receiver, Houston chose not to utilize Johnson much in the wild card game against Los Angeles. He caught his only target for 12 yards and was reportedly seen very upset in the locker room where Joe Mixon and Azeez Al-Shaair tried comforting Johnson, according to a report on ESPN.

Johnson’s debut was a similar workload, which is typical for receivers on new teams. He had two catches on four targets in that lone regular season game with the Texans, totaling 12 yards.

Johnson is obviously a very passionate player and wants to compete. Playing 15 of the 70 snaps on offense for Houston’s wild card win against the Chargers isn’t a massive workload. Any receiver would want to contribute to a team, especially when every game and every snap counts. But it appears this passion is accompanied by toxicity to a locker room.

There is a track record forming, even beginning with his time in Pittsburgh.

Steelers coach Mike Tomlin is one of the most consistent head coaches in history, but he has always struggled with wide receivers who could earn the “diva” label. Antonio Brown and JuJu Smith-Schuster are just two examples that come to mind regarding troubled receivers in the Steelers organization. Diontae Johnson looked to be on the cusps of breaking through the glass ceiling after the 2021 season when he had career-highs in catches (107), targets (169), yards (1,161) and touchdowns (8). This 2021 Steelers team was Ben Roethlisberger’s final year and was with rookie running back Najee Harris, so it was clear the team was ushering in a new era and a new approach to games.

The following year, Diontae Johnson had dips in all those categories with one extra regular season game, and most notably never found the endzone. Then posting a career-low in receptions (51), targets (87), and receiving yards (717) in 2023, it’s understood why the Steelers decided to move on from Johnson and trade the receiver to the Carolina Panthers last March, just ten months ago.

And then it begins.

The Panthers use Diontae Johnson and get him 30 catches on 58 targets with 357 yards and 3 touchdowns through the first 7 games of the season. The Panthers have an identity crisis at quarterback at the beginning of the year, starting the year with Bryce Young, benching the second-year player for veteran Andy Dalton, and going back to Bryce Young. At the trade deadline, Diontae Johnson wasn’t on a contender and the Baltimore Ravens decided to trade for him.

It’s concerning when a player as talented as Diontae Johnson gets traded, especially when the Panthers threw in a sixth-round selection to get a fifth-round pick from the Ravens. And after Johnson wasn’t used in a new offense tooled with receivers Zay Flowers and Rashod Bateman, tight ends Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely, along with a top-tier running back in Derrick Henry, he took out his frustration by refusing to enter that December game against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Johnson gets suspended and waived for his unprofessional conduct, ending a six-week vacation in Baltimore, playing 39 snaps with one catch for six yards. Johnson’s actions should have been enough for any team to steer clear, but Houston took a chance because of the injuries to their receiving core.

And it still didn’t work out.

There are toxic work environments, bad locker rooms, irresponsible management, and many other factors that could go into a soured relationship. We see athletes all the time act out because their team isn’t giving them what they want financially, or surrounding them with pieces, or whatever the case may be. But typically, it’s over several years when these relationships sour. Johnson’s issue is he hasn’t given time for any of these relationships to grow.

Diontae Johnson, you might be the problem.

Johnson’s resume reads:

• Lack of production
• Dismissed (traded or waived) 3 times in less than 3 months
• Refusing to work
• Inconsolable tantrum when receiving not enough work

Any hiring manager would steer clear of a player turning 29 before next season with that resume. And when you see the crop of talent coming out of the draft, this makes Diontae Johnson’s resume a lot less appealing going into the spring, competing with other high-end or promising candidates.

You can’t help but think it wasn’t pinned on Carolina… and Baltimore, a playoff team… and Houston, another playoff team. The common denominator in all these situations was Diontae Johnson, and they have all ended in the same way.

The sad reality is Diontae Johnson’s career might be over and he will be remembered not-so-fondly for quitting on his teammates, causing drama, and letting his ego get in the way of chasing a Super Bowl.