The Carolina Panthers traded wide receiver Diontae Johnson and a sixth-round draft pick to the Baltimore Ravens for a fifth-rounder.
Why they made the trade
The Panthers (1-7) are back in contention for the No. 1 pick in the draft, and the 28-year-old Johnson is scheduled to hit free agency after the season. Johnson was generating enough trade interest that it felt inevitable he’d be moved before next week’s trade deadline. The Panthers are once again in sell mode.
The Ravens (5-3), on the other hand, are looking like Super Bowl contenders if they can shore up some areas, including the need to improve the receiving group. Quarterback Lamar Jackson has a strong chance to win his third MVP award this season, but he needed reinforcements.
Johnson, who is only owed the balance of his $7 million base salary, has had three productive games this season amid the Panthers’ quarterback chaos. He was a bigger threat during his best seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers from 2020-22, so the Ravens are hoping to help him recapture that production. It won’t be seamless with a midseason trade, but Johnson gives the Ravens a boost on the outside for a minimal cost.
Johnson has played nine games against the Ravens, totaling 34 catches for 495 yards and three touchdowns. In other words, they’re familiar with his work.
Ravens grade: B
The Ravens have been poking around the receiver market but missed out on more prominent veterans like Davante Adams (New York Jets), Amari Cooper (Buffalo Bills) and DeAndre Hopkins (Kansas City Chiefs). After those three, Johnson might be the best receiver to get moved by the deadline.
Red Rifle slings it to Diontae for the TD
📺: FOX pic.twitter.com/qWgQ1Fd7qg
— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) October 13, 2024
The Ravens have a budding star with Zay Flowers, who has team-highs with 41 catches and 527 yards, but their second most productive receiver has been Rashod Bateman (22 catches, 422 yards, three touchdowns). Johnson is an upgrade over Nelson Agholor and makes Baltimore deeper at the position.
The Ravens are going for it. And when Flowers was banged up with an ankle injury last week, they likely recognized how quickly depth could be tested at the position.
The challenge of making more moves for the Ravens is more about cap space and roster flexibility than draft capital. Sure, the team hates trading picks. But after this trade, they still have 11 potential picks in the ’25 draft, assuming they get the 4 comps which are projected.
— Jeff Zrebiec (@jeffzrebiec) October 29, 2024
Panthers grade: C-
The Panthers pared a little payroll, which can roll into free agency. Every little bit helps when a team is staring into an extensive rebuild.
However, turning an early sixth-rounder into a late fifth-rounder doesn’t move the needle all that much. It feels like a low return, but it would be hard to believe the Panthers didn’t take the best offer on the table.
It’s also fair to argue it’d be counterproductive to delete a piece from the offense after second-year quarterback Bryce Young was reinserted as the starter due to Andy Dalton’s thumb injury. But there’s so much uncertainty with Young’s future in the organization that it may not be a huge concern to move Johnson.
The Panthers have a long way to go, and Johnson wasn’t a part of their future plans.
More trade grades:
• Josh Uche: Chiefs can’t lose with high-upside deal; Patriots enter sell mode
• DeAndre Hopkins: Chiefs get Patrick Mahomes the help he desperately needed
• Davante Adams: Kudos to Jets for pushing all in; why did Raiders wait so long?
• Amari Cooper: Bills load up; Browns try to make best of bad situation
(Photo: Ian Maule / Getty Images)
