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Diontae Johnson told all about an infamous incident with the Baltimore Ravens.
The trade for Diontae Johnson midway through the 2024 NFL season proved a short-lived disaster for the Baltimore Ravens, but the wide receiver’s latest comments explain why the franchise’s decision-makers didn’t waste time removing him from the roster.
Johnson joined the Ravens late last October after general manager Eric DeCosta sent a fifth-round draft pick to the Carolina Panthers. The deal was supposed to equip quarterback Lamar Jackson with a natural separator outside the numbers, but Johnson was released less than two months later, after the Ravens had taken disciplinary action over the wideout’s refusal to enter a game against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Speaking on an episode of the Sports and Suits podcast on Friday, June 12, Johnson explained what motivated his decision not to enter the fray against Philly. The 28-year-old, who is now a member of Baltimore’s AFC North rivals the Cleveland Browns, revealed he “wasn’t getting into no run plays, no passing plays or nothing. Yeah, it was cold. So I’m on the sidelines just standing there, just going to the heater, back and forth, just waiting to hear my name called. End of the third, going into the fourth, they were like, ”Tae, we need you.’
Johnson’s lukewarm response to the Ravens’ request ultimately sealed his fate: “I was like, ‘Nah, I don’t think it’s a good idea for me.’ Like, my legs are already ice cold and I didn’t wanna go out there and put bad stuff on film. It’s not like I didn’t wanna go into the game, but leading up to this point, I had been through so much… I’m not finna go in, so I just sat on the bench, and that’s when they suspended me.”
While it’s debatable Johnson will find the climate any warmer in Cleveland, this incident and his reasoning behind it, proves it was best for both parties for the Ravens to move on from the former third-round pick.
Diontae Johnson Gave Ravens No Choice
The Ravens hardly had a choice after Johnson refused to play when his number was called. That likely informed the decision to leave him out entirely when the Ravens faced the team that drafted Johnson, the Pittsburgh Steelers, in Week 16.
It was a game critical to the Ravens’ playoff hopes and seeding, but they felt comfortable taking on a tough defense without a legitimate field-stretcher. The decision was vindicated when the Ravens torched the Steelers for 418 yards, including three touchdown passes from Jackson to tight ends Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely, as well as receiver Rashod Bateman.
A 34-17 win and points explosion at M&T Bank Stadium proved the Ravens didn’t need Johnson, whether he was finally willing to contribute or not. DeCosta didn’t wait around to find out, but Johnson apparently has no ill will.
He told Sports and Suits, “that was a tough situation for me. Like, I love the players and stuff. Like, I love the organization, but it just, it just wasn’t for me.”
Johnson indicted he rarely felt “a part of the team,” but now he’s in a position to do the Ravens some damage twice a season. His task just got tougher, though, after DeCosta added a Pro Bowl-level cover man.
Talent is strong in the secondary, but the Ravens are looking stronger still at Johnson’s position.
Ravens Stronger at Wide Receiver
The receiving corps is deeper and more talented after DeCosta acquired five-time Pro Bowler DeAndre Hopkins. He boasts a more prolific track record than Johnson, and nobody is questioning Hopkins’ enduring competitiveness after he helped the Kansas City Chiefs reach last season’s Super Bowl.
Hopkins can do the same for the Ravens, with a little help from returning Bateman and a healthy again Zay Flowers. This trio can elevate Jackson’s passing game to even greater heights, especially if they get more support from a young burner head coach John Harbaugh believes can be something special.
Either way, the Ravens are stacked with enough dynamic pass-catchers not to dwell too much on what went wrong with Johnson.
James Dudko covers the New York Giants, Washington Commanders, New England Patriots and Baltimore Ravens for Heavy.com. He has covered the NFL and world soccer since 2011, with bylines at FanSided, Prime Time Sports Talk and Bleacher Report before joining Heavy in 2021. More about James Dudko
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