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The primary objective of the moribund Carolina Panthers‘ costly offseason rebuild was to acquire players capable of unlocking the potential of Bryce Young – the franchise’s No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 draft.
Give the former Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback adequate protection and a skilled supporting cast, the theory went, and he would thrive under new head coach Dave Canales‘ system. The problem? Carolina paid such a steep price to draft Young that supporting cast members were hard to come by… on both sides of the ball.
Panthers’ owner David Tepper mortgaged his franchise’s future to select Young – a dubious move which looked abjectly awful last season (and has somehow managed to look even more terrible this year).
Having dealt almost all of their draft capital – not to mention their top offensive target – to land Young, the Panthers had to make do in the free agent market.
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At the top of the team’s offseason acquisition list was Diontae Johnson, a versatile 28-year-old wideout from the University of Toledo who previously spent five seasons with the Steelers (including a 1,000-yard campaign in 2021). A 5-foot-10, 183-pound speedster, Johnson was brought in to give Young an elite route runner and downfield threat -something he lacked in his horrific rookie season. Johnson was also expected to help with the development of young wide receivers Jonathan Mingo and Xavier Legette.
Carolina acquired Johnson in March from Pittsburgh for cornerback Donte Jackson – who is currently tied for fifth in the NFL with three interceptions (matching the entire team total for the Panthers in 2024). The Steelers, incidentally, have the second-best scoring defense in the NFL and currently lead the AFC North with a 6-2 record.
The Panthers? Eh…
Through seven games with Carolina, Johnson caught 30 passes for 357 yards with three touchdowns – although he never really clicked with Young. All but five of his receptions as a Panther (and all but 34 of his receiving yards) came courtesy of his connection with journeyman veteran Andy Dalton, who received the reins of Carolina’s offense after Young was benched in mid-September.
Having surrendered a top cornerback to obtain Johnson for a measly seven games (of which the Panthers registered one victory), what did Carolina get when they dealt him this week to the Baltimore Ravens?
Not much…
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Carolina obtained Baltimore’s fifth-round pick in the upcoming 2025 draft in exchange for Johnson – and the Panthers’ sixth round selection next spring. Considering Baltimore is poised to draft late in each round of the draft and the Panthers are (again) likely to draft early, those picks could be incredibly close to each other.
Not surprisingly, league analysts panned the trade.
“They’re bumping up a single round on day three of a future draft to dump easily their most talented receiver,” Cody Benjamin of CBS Sports’ noted. “This is far from an enticing return for a former 1,000-yard route-runner considering the amount of teams seemingly ripe for wide receiver insurance.”
Tim Weaver of Sports Illustrated noted the franchise traded Johnson for “a order of cheese fries and a medium Pepsi.”
The definitive takedown of the trade was offered by Dean Jones of Cat Crave, who noted that in addition to getting nothing but “magic beans” in exchange for Johnson, the Panthers were forced to “pay almost the entirety of his remaining salary to get this transaction over the line.”
Jones also pointed the finger of blame where it belongs: David Tepper, the irascible owner who over the past six-and-a-half seasons has turned a perennial playoff contending team into the worst franchise in the league.
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RELATED | ‘YOUR TEAM SUCKS’
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“This isn’t the first time that fans have felt short-changed in the trade market since David Tepper bought the franchise,” Jones wrote. “Christian McCaffrey, Brian Burns, and D.J. Moore are all thriving elsewhere. There are countless other examples of players leaving for greener pastures in free agency and excelling. And the billionaire wonders why he’s overseen a rapid descent to rock bottom.”
Since Tepper purchased the Panthers, the team has posted an abysmal 32-75 (.299) record – the worst record in the league. Over that stretch, they have failed to reach the playoffs or secure a winning season. Conversely, in the five years before Tepper bought the team, the Panthers went 54-31-1 (.621) – reaching the playoffs four times and making it to Super Bowl 50.
It’s not just that Tepper has been a disaster making trades. Or drafting players. The thin-skinned, micro-managing owner is on his third head coach (not counting interims) and his third general manager. He’s alienated half of his team’s fan base. He’s repeatedly shown his ass.
All of which is why we are still waiting for the Panthers to hit rock bottom as yet another season implodes before the eyes of long-suffering fans…
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR …
Will Folks is the founding editor of the news outlet you are currently reading. Prior to founding FITSNews, he served as press secretary to the governor of South Carolina. He lives in the Midlands region of the state with his wife and eight children.
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2 comments
Would’ve been wasted talent putting him on the Panthers anyways.
It is past the point of a disaster. David Tepper is a moron!