Diontae Johnson, Noted Locker Room Cancer, Signs With Browns

The Cleveland Browns are hoping the fifth time is a charm for Diontae Johnson.

Coming off a tumultuous and drama-filled 2024 season, the free-agent wide receiver signed a one-year contract with the Browns on Monday. 

On the one hand, the Browns needed to grab a veteran wide receiver this offseason after not taking a wideout in last week's Draft. On the other hand, Johnson might be way more trouble than he's worth.

Diontae Johnson is known for being problematic in locker rooms.

(Photo by Brooke Sutton/Getty Image)

After spending his first five seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Johnson was dealt last offseason to Carolina, where he led the Panthers with 30 receptions and 357 receiving yards in the first two months of the season. But shortly after he threw his entire team under the bus, Johnson was traded to the Baltimore Ravens.

READ: Diontae Johnson Calls Out Panthers Teammates: ‘I Can’t Play Every Position'

He lasted seven weeks with the Ravens, totaling one catch, six receiving yards and a one-game suspension for refusing to play in a Dec. 1 game against the Philadelphia Eagles. Baltimore waived him, and the Houston Texans picked him up. There, the 28-year-old lasted just a couple of weeks before he was cut again. Baltimore then claimed Johnson in a move made for a possible compensatory pick in 2026.

Diontae Johnson played for three different teams in 2024.

(Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images)

The Steelers selected Johnson in the third round of the 2019 NFL Draft. He has 424 receptions for 4,738 yards and 28 touchdowns over his six-year career. He earned Pro Bowl honors in 2021 with his lone 1,000-yard season and a career-high eight touchdowns.

Johnson joins a Browns team with an uncertain quarterback situation and a wide receiver room that includes Pro Bowler Jerry Jeudy, Cedric Tillman, Michael Woods II and Jamari Thrash. And I'm sure they'll all get along great.