The Carolina Panthers spent the first day of NFL free agency adding protection for young quarterback Bryce Young. That included signing star guard Robert Hunt to a whopping five-year, $100 million contract.
New general manager Dan Morgan is now looking to add more weapons for Young in the passing game.
According to Tom Pelissero of NFL Media, Carolina has acquired wide reciever Diontae Johnson from the Pittsburgh Steelers. Here are the full details of the trade.
- Carolina Panthers get: Diontae Johnson, 240th pick
- Pittsburgh Steelers get: Donte Jackson, 178th pick
Carolina had the 28-year-old Jackson on the trade block all offseason. Despite starting 76 of the 80 games in which he’s appeared since the Panthers made him a second-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, the cornerback as seen as expendable. He started 16 games a season ago, yielding a 67.2% completion and 107.7 QB rating when targeted.
Related: Updated NFL trade rumors
Carolina Panthers get Bryce Young new weapon in Diontae Johnson
One of the issues for Young during his rookie season in 2023 was a lack of skill-position talent. Outside of veteran Adam Thielen, there was not a whole lot to write home about.
Remember, Carolina dealt away D.J. Moore to the Chicago Bears in the blockbuster that ultimately landed the team Young in the first place.
A third-round pick of the Steelers out of Toledo back in 2019, Johnson has morphed into a Pro Bowl-caliber wide receiver.
Back in 2021 with Pittsburgh, Johnson caught 107 passes for 1,161 yards with eight touchdowns. He has not been able to duplicate that success with an average of 69 receptions for 800 yards over the past two seasons.