Could the Chicago Bears swing a deal for this Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver?
The Chicago Bears and Pittsburgh Steelers have discussed a trade for a wide receiver before, with the Steelers being the winners of the deal. Would the Bears go back to the well if it meant that they could trade for Diontae Johnson this offseason?
Should the Chicago Bears trade the Pittsburgh Steelers for Diontae Johnson
Johnson is coming off of what would technically be one of his worst seasons. He went from 1,195 yards in 2021 to 882 yards in 2022 and then just 765 yards last year. Johnson has just one year left on his deal, and the Steelers could save $10M by moving on from Johnson.
Johnson has expressed frustration with the quarterback situation in Pittsburgh already, so if the Steelers do not see him in their plans beyond this year, now is the time to explore a trade.
For the Bears, they are about to acquire a quarterback and want to put the best set of skill players around him. Johnson would be a perfect number two behind D.J. Moore. While he was not at his best statistically, a lot of that had to do with missing weeks two through six.
In week seven, he returned, and from week 12 on, he averaged 54 yards per game and 2.1 yards per route run. He finished his season with 1.9 yards per route run, the best rate of his career and a much better number than his 1.7 yards per route run for his career.
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On the surface, Johnson is declining and could be an asset that teams want to avoid. However, he is still one of the best route runners and a reliable receiver behind that. Adding Johnson at a low point and watching him perform better with a better quarterback room could make up for the Bears swinging and missing on Chase Claypool two years ago.