Insider reveals league shock over Panthers’ pitiful Diontae Johnson compensation

All eyes are on Tuesday’s trade deadline to see if the Carolina Panthers stockpile more assets heading into the 2024 offseason. But the fallout from general manager Dan Morgan’s trade of Pro Bowl wide receiver Diontae Johnson to the Baltimore Ravens remains a hot topic of discussion around the league.

The Panthers acquired Johnson via trade from the Pittsburgh Steelers this offseason. After an encouraging summer, big things awaited. It didn’t take long for things to unravel, eventually leading to his instant AFC North return for pennies on the dollar.

Carolina moved up a few spots on Day 3 of the draft and had to take on the majority of Johnson’s remaining salary to rubber stamp the deal. This was met with widespread dismay among the fan base, which always believed a move was inevitable but was outraged by what the Panthers received for the skilled pass-catcher.

Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports highlighted similar thoughts about the deal when speaking with sources around the league. The senior insider revealed that people he had talked to were shocked by what Morgan accepted for Johnson, especially considering what older wideouts commanded up front.

“Sources across the NFL were concerned about the lack of compensation Carolina received for wide receiver Diontae Johnson. Normally, teams get a higher draft pick by ‘buying’ the contract, or a lower one by passing the contract on to the next team. In this I case, the 1-7 Panthers got what could be a 10-12 improvement on Day 3 of the 2025 draft, while also paying Johnson’s salary to go to Baltimore was lower than expected, by far the lowest compensation of the four big name receivers who were traded before the deadline.

– Jonathan Jones, CBS Sports

Was the compensation ideal? No. However, it is also clear that the Panthers wanted to get rid of this problem by any means necessary.

Johnson quickly became a distraction. He expected better and wasn’t shy about making his feelings known about this team’s lack of execution on both sides of the football. There was also the quarterback issue, which didn’t exactly get a positive response from former third-round pick Toledo.

The Panthers felt the time had come to get their young players more involved. Xavier Legette, Jalen Coker and tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders have all shown tremendous promise in recent weeks. It’s by no means perfect, but getting them prominent reps and goals in a competitive environment will do wonders for their long-term development.

Whether the likes of Miles Sanders, Jadeveon Clowney and Adam Thielen will suffer a similar fate in the coming hours is anyone’s guess. The Panthers could dispose of several players who offer short-term value, but nothing more. This time they want something back after almost nothing for Johnson.

It’s a fine line and time is of the essence. Johnson isn’t shedding many tears after landing a legitimate Super Bowl contender. As for Morgan? He weathers the storm and tries to do right by the franchise as part of his long-term plans.

If that meant removing Johnson and potentially disposing of other established figures, so be it. Either way, the time for half measures is over.

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