All eyes are on Tuesday's trade deadline to see if the Carolina Panthers stockpile more assets heading into the 2024 offseason. But the ripple effects of general manager Dan Morgan giving Pro Bowl wide receiver Diontae Johnson away to the Baltimore Ravens remains a hot topic of discussion around the league.
The Panthers acquired Johnson via trade from the Pittsburgh Steelers this offseason. After an encouraging summer, big things were expected. It didn't take long for things to unravel, which eventually led to his instant AFC North return for pennies on the dollar.
Carolina moved up a few spots on Day 3 of the draft and had to take on the majority of Johnson's remaining salary to rubber-stamp the deal. This was met with widespread dismay among the fanbase, who always thought a move was inevitable but were furious about what the Panthers received for the accomplished pass-catcher.
League sources floored by Carolina Panthers' Diontae Johnson compensation
Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports highlighted similar thoughts regarding the deal when speaking to sources around the league. The senior insider revealed that people he'd spoken to were shocked at what Morgan accepted for Johnson, especially considering what older wideouts were commanding beforehand.
"Sources across the NFL were floored by the lack of compensation Carolina received for wide receiver Diontae Johnson. Usually teams get a higher draft pick by "buying" the contract, or a lower one by passing the contract along to the next team. In this case, the 1-7 Panthers got what may be a 10-12 pick improvement on Day 3 of the 2025 draft while also paying Johnson's salary to go to Baltimore. Though there had been previously reported communication issues between Johnson and the team, the return was lower than expected. It was by far the lowest compensation of the four big-name receivers traded before the deadline."Jonathan Jones, CBS Sports
Was the compensation ideal? No. However, it's also apparent that the Panthers wanted to rid themselves of this problem by any means necessary.
Johnson was quickly becoming a distraction. He expected better and wasn't shy in letting his feelings be known about this team's lack of execution on both sides of the football. There was also the quarterback problem that didn't exactly receive a positive response from the former third-round selection out of Toledo.
The Panthers felt the time was right to get their young players more involved. Xavier Legette, Jalen Coker, and tight end Ja'Tavion Sanders have all flashed enormous promise in recent weeks. It's not perfect by any stretch, but getting them prominent reps and targets in a competitive setting will do wonders for their long-term development.
Whether the likes of Miles Sanders, Jadeveon Clowney, and Adam Thielen will suffer a similar fate in the coming hours is anyone's guess. The Panthers could dispose of more players who offer short-term value but nothing more. This time, they'll want something back in return after getting almost nothing for Johnson.
It's a fine line and time is of the essence. Johnson isn't shedding many tears after landing on a legitimate Super Bowl contender. As for Morgan? He's weathering the storm and trying to do right by the franchise as part of his long-term plans.
If that meant removing Johnson and potentially disposing of other established figures, so be it. Either way, the time for half-measures is over.