The Pittsburgh Steelers officially traded WR Diontae Johnson to the Carolina Panthers yesterday. I ended that sentence there because I’m not sure if the rest matters. According to Mark Kaboly of The Athletic, Johnson actually requested that the Steelers trade him. While he offered couched speculation previously, this appears to be the first claim of a legitimate request.
“This wasn’t a great return for a top receiver like Johnson, but the Steelers were backed into a corner”, he wrote for The Athletic. “Johnson requested a trade entering the final year of his contract, with no extension in sight and a $3 million roster bonus due Friday.