Ravens waive Diontae Johnson, ending tumultuous saga involving veteran WR

Nearly two months after acquiring wide receiver Diontae Johnson, the Baltimore Ravens have waived the six-year veteran, the team announced Friday.

Baltimore’s decision to move on from Johnson, who was traded from the Carolina Panthers on Oct. 29, follows a tumultuous month between both parties.

The Ravens mutually agreed with Johnson on Monday to excuse him from Week 16 activities ahead of Saturday’s clash with the Pittsburgh Steelers, with coach John Harbaugh vaguely citing “front office type reasons” when asked why he hadn’t been released. Curiously, the move came on the heels of Johnson serving a one-game suspension the week prior for “conduct detrimental to the team” after refusing to take the field in Week 13.

With Johnson now set to hit waivers, the wideout’s lingering tensions with his new team has led to an expected end after it appeared he would be in line for a notable role as a key trade deadline acquisition for the Ravens.

In his five appearances (Week 14 bye) with Baltimore, Johnson recorded one catch on five targets for six yards. His role in Carolina, however, saw the ex-Steeler produce more fruitful numbers to the tune of 30 receptions, 357 yards and three touchdowns in seven games — bringing some hope to the franchise that may decide to claim him off waivers or in free agency.

What’s next for Baltimore with Johnson out?

From the time it was revealed that Johnson had refused to enter the Ravens’ Week 13 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, this felt like the most probable result.

The Ravens put great value on their culture and team chemistry and it was always going to be a tough sell to bring Johnson back into the locker room of a team vying for a playoff spot. And it wasn’t ever clear that Johnson wanted to be back. There was an erosion of trust and the Ravens just weren’t going to be able to count on Johnson going forward. Plus, the last thing they obviously wanted was this to be a distraction down the stretch.

The disappointing part of the situation is the Ravens acquired Johnson for exactly the situation that they are currently in. Starting wide receiver Rashod Bateman is questionable for Saturday’s key AFC North game against the Steelers because of a foot injury. Veteran No. 3 wide receiver Nelson Agholor has been ruled out for the game with a concussion.

If Bateman is out Saturday —  and he was in a boot in the locker room Thursday — the Ravens’ wide receiver corps will consist of Zay Flowers; Tylan Wallace, who has 17 catches over parts of four seasons; rookie fourth-round pick Devontez Walker, who had his first career catch Sunday against the New York Giants; and practice squad elevation Anthony Miller, who will be making his season debut. Johnson would have likely been featured prominently, but the mercurial wide receiver ran out of patience with his lack of opportunities and playing time and burned bridges with the organization. — Jeff Zrebiec, Ravens beat writer

Will Johnson trade impact Ravens’ draft outlook in 2025?

It would be hard to describe the trade as a disaster for the Ravens and general manager Eric DeCosta, only because they gave up virtually nothing. The Ravens traded a 2025 fifth-round pick to the Panthers for Johnson and a 2025 sixth-round pick. So essentially, in exchange for Johnson, the Ravens moved back what will probably only be around 15 to 20 draft slots in the middle of Day 3 of April’s NFL Draft.

Still, it represents a miscalculation by DeCosta that Johnson, who had his issues in Pittsburgh and Carolina, was going to be satisfied with a part-time role as he neared free agency. And that miscalculation looms large now as the Ravens go into a game with major playoff implications with a very thin wide receiver group. — Zrebiec

Required reading

• Ravens must ‘learn how to not lose’ to end frustrating skid vs. Steelers
• Updated 2025 NFL Draft order: Raiders at No. 1; how picks 1-32 stand after Week 15

(Photo: G Fiume / Getty Images)