New Ravens wide receiver Diontae Johnson is a very cheap acquisition in Baltimore.
The Panthers are paying most of Johnson’s remaining salary in the deal, and the Ravens will only have to pay Johnson about $625,000, according to Jeff Zrebiec of TheAthletic.com.
The trade was Johnson and the Panthers’ sixth-round pick for the Ravens’ fifth-round pick. So the Panthers are going to pay more than $3 million in cash and cap space and give Johnson away just to move up maybe 15 spots in the middle of Day 3 of the draft.
The trade terms and contract adjustment make clear how eager the Panthers were to move on from Johnson as they give up on this season and attempt to build for the future. It also suggests that the rest of the league doesn’t think much of Johnson, if that’s all the Panthers could get after shopping him around.
Now the Ravens will hope Johnson can make a difference in a season that they hope will end up in the Super Bowl. Even if Johnson doesn’t do much, he seems likely to be worth the cost. Because he hardly cost anything.
