Steelers Sign WR Diontae Johnson To Two-Year, $36.71M Extension

According to Mike Garafolo, the Steelers and WR Diontae Johnson have come to an agreement on a contract extension.

Garafolo says it’s a two-year, $36.71 million deal for Johnson. He had previously hinted that a shorter deal could be a solution for the two sides to get something done. 

He adds Johnson gets $27 million guaranteed and $19 million in the first year of the deal. He’ll be an unrestricted free agent in 2025. 

Johnson had been “holding in” from training camp, as he had reported but wasn’t practicing while talks took place. 

The explosion of the wide receiver market this offseason as well as Pittsburgh’s organizational history of being reluctant to sign wide receivers to second contracts had made this a situation worth watching.

In the end, Pittsburgh didn’t have to give Johnson more than $20 million a year, while Johnson didn’t have to take a risk playing out a contract year. 

Johnson, 26, was selected with the No. 66 overall pick in the third round by the Steelers out of Toledo back in 2019. He signed a four-year, $4,251,708 contract that included a $1,129,110 signing bonus.

He was set to be an unrestricted free agent in 2023. 

In 2021, Johnson appeared in 16 games for the Steelers and caught 107 of 169 targets for 1,161 yards (10.9 YPC) and eight touchdowns. He also added five carries for 53 yards.