Will the Baltimore Ravens hold onto wide receiver Diontae Johnson the rest of the season?
The Ravens suspended Johnson for Week 15’s matchup against the New York Giants, after he refused to play against the Philadelphia Eagles in last Sunday’s loss.
“We have made the difficult decision to suspend Diontae Johnson for our upcoming game against the New York Giants for conduct detrimental to the team,” Ravens executive vice president and general manager Eric DeCosta said in a statement. “Diontae’s suspension stems from refusing to enter our game against the Philadelphia Eagles.”
Statement from GM Eric DeCosta. pic.twitter.com/2sNNaeNbFO
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) December 4, 2024
Johnson was supposed to shore up the wide receiver corps and be another playmaker for quarterback Lamar Jackson to rely on when the Ravens acquired him from the Carolina Panthers at the trade deadline for a fifth-round pick.
Instead, he’s been a massive disappointment, having only played in 22 snaps and been targeted five times in four games prior to the suspension.
NFL insider reveals Baltimore Ravens could be concerned Diontae Johnson could go back to rival team
ESPN NFL insider Jeremy Fowler was told by a Ravens source that it was a “major letdown” that Johnson refused to go into the game against the Eagles.
Despite Johnson’s future looking “tenuous at best” with the Ravens, Fowler points out that they might hold onto him because they play the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 16, the team that drafted Johnson.
“Something to keep in mind if Baltimore cuts Johnson: It plays Pittsburgh — Johnson’s old team — in Week 16. Whether the Steelers would want him back is unclear, but the way some people around the league see it: The threat of him sharing Ravens offensive intel with Pittsburgh could make Baltimore hold on to him,” Fowler reports.
During his six-year career with the Steelers, Panthers, and Ravens, Johnson has 422 receptions for 4,726 receiving yards and 28 touchdowns.
The Ravens are currently on a bye week.
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