Diontae Johnson moved from Pittsburgh to Carolina this offseason in a trade that signaled that the Steelers weren’t interested in giving the wide receiver a contract extension.
Johnson’s first few months with the Panthers have left him ready to consider an extended stay with the NFC South club. Johnson said on Tuesday that “if they feel like they want to extend me, then I’m all for it.”
Johnson’s desire to sign a new deal is likely helped by the rising tide for receiver compensation that’s being driven by deals for players at the top of the market. Johnson is keeping an eye on that while trying not to change anything about his game as part of his push for a new deal.
“It’s crazy,” Johnson said, via Anthony Rizzuti of USAToday.com. “Everybody getting all these big contracts — it just motivates me to keep working. God gonna give it to me when he ready, so I just gotta keep stacking days and not really worry about . . . keep pressing. If I press, that’s gonna throw my game off and I’m doing stuff I don’t normally do out there trying to make plays. But just gotta stay relaxed, just keep being humble, make my plays.”
Johnson’s goal of a contract lines up with the Panthers’ goal of building continuity around quarterback Bryce Young, so the chances of an extension would seem to be good but it remains to be seen what kind of timeline everyone is operating on in Carolina.
