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Steelers’ Diontae Johnson Addresses Report He’s Unhappy With Contract

On Friday, The Athletic’s Mark Kaboly reported that Steelers wide receiver Diontae Johnson is unhappy with his contract situation, which has led to Johnson sitting out of Pittsburgh’s OTAs. According to Kaboly, Johnson has very little leverage so he is trying to as much as he can to gain the upper hand in negotiations.

Johnson himself decided to respond to the report himself. The fourth-year wide receiver took to Twitter to essentially give a no comment on the situation.

If there is no deal by Week 1, Kaboly reports that the two sides will probably not continue discussions into the season. Johnson is entering the final year of his rookie deal, but the team still has the option to franchise tag him next offseason.

Johnson has gotten better every year since entering the league, culminating in a career year last season. He totaled 1,161 yards on 107 catches with eight touchdowns, all three career-highs.

In 2021, Johnson took full control of the Steelers’ No. 1 wide receiver role, as JuJu Smith-Schuster only played in five games. With Smith-Schuster in Kansas City, Johnson has a chance to cement his role even further as Pittsburgh’s top wideout.

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