Diontae Johnson release: Browns part ways with former Pro Bowl receiver, per report

While he was hoping to revive his career in Cleveland, Diontae Johnson may have to that elsewhere now as the Browns are releasing the former Pro Bowl receiver, via NFL Media. 

Johnson, 29, has played for four teams since he was traded by the Steelers in March of 2024. Since that point, Johnson has spent time with the Panthers, Ravens, Texans and Browns. He spent his first five NFL seasons with the Steelers, who selected him in the third round of the 2019 NFL Draft. 

Johnson is coming off of a 2024 season that saw him record career lows of 33 receptions for 375 yards and three touchdowns while playing for three different teams. With no other teams calling, Johnson signed a one-year, $1.7 million deal (the veteran minimum) with the Browns in April. 

"I don't like to speak on a lot of stuff. Everybody's going to have their opinions," Johnson said earlier this year, via Cleveland.com. "At the end of the day, I'm the only one in that room that really knows what's going on. I can only go off of what I know and then try to put out my best effort. But last year is last year. I'm trying to turn and change that narrative and move the right way and just keep going."

Johnson's career began with four largely productive seasons with the Steelers, who drafted him to help replace Antonio Brown after he was traded to the Raiders that same offseason. Johnson led the Steelers in receiving yards as a rookie and paced Pittsburgh in receiving yards each of the next three seasons. His best season in Pittsburgh occurred in 2021, when he received his first Pro Bowl berth after setting career-highs with 107 receptions for 1,161 yards and eight touchdowns during what was Ben Roethlisberger's final season. 

Browns trade Kenny Pickett to Raiders: What does this mean for Shedeur Sanders on Cleveland's QB depth chart?

Jordan Dajani

Things started going south for Johnson in 2023, his fifth and final season with the Steelers. While he still put up decent numbers, Johnson failed to hustle on several plays, most notably after a teammate fumbled in his vicinity during a midseason win over the Bengals. A week earlier, Johnson reportedly got into a heated argument with then-teammate Minkah Fitzpatrick in the locker room following a loss to the Browns. 

Instead of giving him a second contract extension, the Steelers opted to trade Johnson to the Carolina Panthers the following offseason. What followed was a forgettable season for Johnson, who continued to have behavioral issues that included a one-game suspension during his first of two stints with the Ravens after he refused to go back into a game. 

"One bad year," Johnson said of his 2024 campaign. "It's one year. I had five great seasons in Pittsburgh. I had one year, that doesn't define me as a player, none of that, my character or none of that. So like I said, everybody's going to say what they want to say about me, but I know who I am as a person deep down and that's all that matters to me."

Like most professional athletes, Johnson has had to overcome adversity to get to where he is. One of his biggest hurdles occurred during his sophomore year at the University of Toledo, when he missed the entire season after having foot surgery and also needing to retake the ACT. While there were thoughts of giving up and going home, Johnson stayed and eventually blossomed into one of the Rockets' top players. As a junior, Johnson led Toledo to a conference title; his success that and the following season led to the Steelers drafting him. 

Nearly a decade after overcoming that adversity, Johnson is hoping to have a similar comeback now as he begins the process of finding his next NFL landing spot.