Diontae Johnson's cryptic interview goes viral again after suspension: what did the Ravens WR say?

The Baltimore Ravens traded the Carolina Panthers a fifth-round pick for wide receiver Diontae Johnson and a sixth-round pick. For the Ravens, this was a no-risk trade in which the Panthers even agreed to pick up most of Johnson’s remaining salary, leaving Baltimore off the hook for $625,000. Unfortunately, things aren’t exactly going as planned.

Johnson’s suspension and the cryptic interview going viral again

With the Panthers, Johnson was their WR1, leading through seven games with 30 catches for 375 yards. Since the trade ahead of Week 9, Johnson has played just 39 snaps in four games, catching only one pass on five targets for six yards for the Ravens.

Unfortunately, his desire to play a bigger role in the Baltimore offense has earned him a one-game suspension. Johnson refused to play in the Ravens' Week 13 game against fellow playoff contenders, the Philadelphia Eagles. As the Ravens are on a bye this week, the suspension will be in effect for their Week 15 game against the New York Giants. He will be eligible to return to action in their Week 16 game against their AFC North rivals Pittsburgh Steelers.

After the game against the Eagles, coach John Harbaugh was cryptic when talking about why Johnson didn’t play any snaps. Now we know, it was Johnson’s own decision.

Amidst all the drama, a postgame interview that Johnson gave after the Ravens' Week 11 game against the Steelers has gone viral again. Johnson had recently moved from Carolina to Baltimore, and here’s what he said:

“I still love the Steelers and whatever… I’m a Raven now, but you never know what the future holds,” Johnson said.

Johnson played for the Steelers for five seasons until 2023, and they were the one team that he was with when he earned his only Pro Bowl nod. It’s normal that he would want a bigger role, but putting himself above the team in this way will not look good to potential future teams looking for free agents.

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