Steelers GM Omar Khan Addresses Diontae Johnson's 'Hold-In'
LATROBE -- The Pittsburgh Steelers have not been shy about signing their stars to rich contracts. They avoided free agency with safety Minkah Fitzpatrick by inking him to a four-year, $73.6 million deal and extended star linebacker T.J. Watt's contract, making him a Steeler for the next four years at the modest price of $112 million.
But one Steelers star is still seeking a new deal and his 'hold-in' at training camp has loomed large as the regular season inches closer and closer. Wideout Diontae Johnson is in Latrobe with his team, but has not put on pads and ran only individual drills so far.
Steelers general manager Omar Khan said ahead of his first training camp press conference that he'd like to retain Johnson. And while his hold-in isn't an ideal situation as they try to get two new quarterbacks and a young offense up to speed, the coaching staff has used to it to get a closer look at new faces.
"You want everyone out practicing, but we've taken the approach that we're using it as an opportunity to get a look at the other guys who are practicing, especially the young guys - get them some good reps," Khan said. "We want Diontae. We're excited to have Diontae as a part of this team. We hope he's going to be a Steeler for a long time."
Extending Johnson will be pricey. He wants to be paid like one of the best at his position, meaning even conservative estimates for his annual value are north of $20 million. That figure is the product of a rapidly growing market wide receivers, which has yielded unprecedentedly lucrative deals for pass-catchers. Kahn doesn't expect that to change anytime soon.
"It's a function of the times and the system that we're in," Khan said. "It's just part of the process. Regardless of the position, I assume [salaries] are going to go up. As the CBA grows, the contracts will grow."
Khan doesn't think that Johnson's hold-in tactic will die out either. It's becoming much more common around the NFL, as players have found a way to demonstrate interest in staying with their team while still giving them an incentive to get a deal done.
"Obviously that's happened league-wide," Khan said. "It's happened more this year than last year and realistically it's going to happen for a lot longer."
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