Chiefs Named Top Landing Spot for Disgruntled WR Who Botched Contract Year

Adding to the wide receiver room will be one of the top priorities for the Kansas City Chiefs this upcoming offseason. Though there won’t be a surplus of receiver talent to choose from in the free agent pool, Bleacher Report’s Andrew Peters thinks Kansas City would be the ideal destination for veteran Diontae Johnson.

“The Kansas City Chiefs are back-to-back champions and look capable of winning another this year, but they still could use help in the wide receiver room,” Peters wrote on December 16.

“The Chiefs got some help midseason when they traded for DeAndre Hopkins, but he’ll be a free agent this offseason and could opt to go somewhere else. Beyond Hopkins, Kansas City’s best options are an aging Travis Kelce and rookie receiver Xavier Worthy.

“Rashee Rice, who was Patrick Mahomes’ No. 1 option earlier this year, is out for the season.

“Adding Johnson this offseason would give Mahomes another solid target with plenty of experience as the Chiefs try to return to an elite offense.”

Diontae Johnson Amidst Botched Contract Year

Johnson, 28, was traded by the team that drafted him, the Pittsburgh Steelers, to the Carolina Panthers in exchange for cornerback Donte Jackson and a pick swap in March.

As the primary option in Carolina’s passing game, Johnson registered 30 receptions on 57 targets for 357 yards and three touchdowns in seven games played with the team, according to Pro Football Reference. A change at quarterback — the Panthers benched Bryce Young in favor of Andy Dalton starting in Week 3 — provided a quick but not long-lasting spark for Johnson in terms of production, which left Johnson frustrated for the remainder of his tenure in Carolina.

After making his frustrations known publicly regarding how he felt about the floundering Panthers, Johnson was traded to the Baltimore Ravens along with a sixth-round pick in exchange for a fifth-round pick.

Johnson began his Ravens tenure by playing 30% of the team’s offensive snaps in Week 9. But he played just 8%, 18%, and 9% of the team’s offensive snaps over the next three weeks respectively.

In Week 13, Johnson was asked by Baltimore’s coaching staff to enter the game after fellow wideout Rashod Bateman was injured. But Johnson refused to enter the game, which led to him being suspended in Week 14 for conduct detrimental to the team. He was sidelined for the team’s Week 14 win over the New York Giants as a result.

On Monday, December 16, the Ravens announced that the team and Johnson had mutually agreed to excuse him from team activities in Week 16.

Johnson is in the final year of the two-year, $36.7 million extension he signed with the Steelers in 2023.

Does Diontae Johnson Make Sense for WR-Needy Chiefs?

In 2025, the Chiefs are projected to be without receiver Hollywood Brown — a pending free agent — and Rice, whose recovery from knee surgery will likely bleed into the beginning of the 2025 season. Because of that, they could look to free agency to address the receiver room before they potentially add to it via the draft.

Before this season, an argument could have been made that Johnson was one of the best receivers that will be available in free agency in 2025, among the likes of Tee Higgins, Chris Godwin, and Amari Cooper. But based on how his 2024 campaign has played out thus far, Johnson has worked his way into a prove-it deal next offseason. He’s undoubtedly still a talented player, but his off-the-field antics could prove to be too noisy for many organizations.

If that’s how the market shapes out for Johnson, then it could be an advantageous situation for the Chiefs. If Johnson winds up receiving modest offers in free agency, one of which could be from Kansas City, then he might opt to choose the Chiefs’ offer because of their winning traditions. In that scenario, the two-time defending Super Bowl champions would add a talented pass catcher without having to break the bank.

Given his versatility on offense, Johnson would make a lot of sense as a free agent target for the Chiefs in 2025. But the team needs to know for sure that Johnson is someone they can rely on when the going gets tough and when the moment is big if they are going to bring him aboard.

According to Spotrac’s calculated market value, Johnson is worth a one-year, $9.5 million contract.