With the Carolina Panthers at the bottom of the NFL standings, a trade involving star wide receiver Diontae Johnson is basically a foregone conclusion.
Carolina’s 28-14 road loss to the Denver Broncos on Sunday dropped them to 1-7 on the season. Diontae Johnson is one of the top wide receivers available on the market, and his status as a pending free agent leaves GM Dan Morgan with an easy decision here.
We’ve already seen three blockbuster trades involving wide receivers ahead of the Nov. 5 deadline: Davante Adams to the New York Jets, Amari Cooper to the Buffalo Bills and DeAndre Hopkins to the Kansas City Chiefs.
Though they traded for Hopkins just last week, the Chiefs still need more help at wide receiver. Rashee Rice (knee) is out for the year, and it’s unclear if Marquise ‘Hollywood’ Brown will return (shoulder surgery) for the postseason.
"In my mind Diontae Johnson and Za'Darius Smith are gonna be traded before the deadline..
The Rams are only a game out in the NFC West and I don't expect them to move Cooper Kupp"@AdamSchefter #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/PhIPBmYAu2
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) October 28, 2024
After Travis Kelce (335 receiving yards), rookie Xavier Worthy is the Chiefs’ leading active receiver with just 19 receptions for 235 yards and three touchdowns. The Chiefs may be off to a perfect 7-0 start, but they clearly need another play-making wideout for their three-peat bid.
Diontae Johnson has a respectable 30-357-3 stat line on an awful Carolina team. The former Pittsburgh Steelers star exceeded the 50-catch and 700-yard marks in four straight seasons from 2020 to 2023, so he’s more than capable of stepping in as Kansas City’s new No. 1 receiver.
Suddenly, the banged-up defending champs would have an offense consisting of Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, Diontae Johnson, DeAndre Hopkins, Kareem Hunt, Isiah Pacheco and JuJu Smith-Schuster. That’s how you maximize your three-peat bid.
What Chiefs Should Offer Panthers For Diontae Johnson
Seeing that Kansas City only had to give up a conditional fifth-round pick for Hopkins, it’s safe to say GM Brett Veach wouldn’t have to give up a lot more for Johnson. A fair price would be seldom-used receiver Skyy Moore and 2026 fifth-round pick for Johnson.
