Way back in 2019, the Pittsburgh Steelers realized they could no longer tolerate the antics of wide receiver Antonio Brown. So they traded him to the then-Oakland Raiders. Pittsburgh got a third-round pick in the 2019 NFL draft in return. Once the draft came and went, the Steelers felt like they got Brown’s replacement with that pick in Diontae Johnson.
But this was not the case. Johnson never developed into the player the Steelers hoped for and his own character and maturity issues forced the Steelers to trade Johnson to the Carolina Panthers in the 2024 offseason. This was the beginning of the end for Johnson. He went from the Panthers to the Baltimore Ravens, to the Cleveland Browns and back to the Baltimore Ravens all in that season. His time with the Ravens only lasted four games and he had only one reception. Johnson might have had more if he hadn’t refused to go into a game when he was too cold.
WR Diontae Johnson just admitted he refused to enter a game in 41° weather last year in Baltimore because he felt “ice cold” 🥶
its a good thing he’s playing this year in…
<checks notes>
CLEVELAND 😭 pic.twitter.com/sE11z4yYTh
— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) June 24, 2025
Johnson is now on his fourth team in just over a year since being traded by the Steelers. The Houston Texans are now betting on whether or not Johnson has learned anything from squandering a potentially huge career but we don’t expect anything to change.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Wire: Former Steelers WR admits her refused to play while with Ravens