When Adam Schefter sent it out into the ether on The Pat McAfee Show that Panthers wide receiver Diontae Johnson might be placed on the block should the Carolina continue to struggle because “he’s going to leave Carolina after this year anyway,” it turned heads around the NFL world.
Suddenly, teams like the Kansas City Chiefs in need of a starting-caliber wide receiver had a potential lifeline, and squads interested in a more minor upgrade could offer up a longer-term play for some more immediate help, with a contender like the Philadelphia Eagles potentially seeing a win-win opportunity to swap out a player like Jahan Dotson for the former Steeler’s services.
And yet, on Wednesday, Panthers coach Dave Canales shut things down on the spot, letting reporters know that he doesn’t see a change happening to the team’s top-11 offensive players.
“My job is to do the best thing, to put the best 11 guys out there,” Canales told reporters via ESPN. “We love the guys that are developing in the progression that we have, so I don’t see that happening.”
Alright, technically, he didn’t say anything about Johnson – or Adam Thielen, who was also mentioned by Schefter – specifically in the report, but that didn’t stop ESPN’s David Newton from asking the star receiver about the rumors, which resulted in a pretty telling response about his long-term NFL future.
“I can’t control some of the stuff they put out there,” Johnson told ESPN. “I can only come in and continue to be the player that I’ve been here. I’m not really worried about it. Whatever happens, happens. But I’m locked on the Panthers now.”
Could things take a turn for the worse for the Panthers, as Schefter suggested, and Johnson end up getting moved to another team by the deadline? Sure, that’s totally possible, but for now, he is staying put in Carolina in the pursuit of a breakout season and a big-money extension off of it.
Read Adam Schefter’s suggestion about a Diontae Johnson trade
So, if you somehow missed out on Schefter’s appearance on The Pat McAfee Show, here’s what he had to say about Johnson in a move that effectively placed him on the hypothetical block.
“Diontae Johnson is in the last year of his contract. He’s going to be leaving Carolina after this year anyway,” Schefter explained via Cat Crave. “If they lose a few more games, why would you not be open to the idea of moving him if you got the right offer before the deadline? I think the same would be true of Adam Thielen, a veteran who you’d probably want to do right by. If you’re 1-6 at the trade deadline, 2-7, whatever it may be, and they’ve also pushed back the trade deadline this year.”
Did Schefter’s comments come from his reporting? Or was he just throwing out names and accidentally hit the sixth-year pro with a stray? Either way, even with Canales throwing cold water on the idea, something tells me Johnson’s name will continue to pop up in rumors and conversations until the trade deadline passes.
