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Steelers Sign Star Wide Receiver Diontae Johnson to $36.7 Million Contract Extension Through 2024

Pittsburgh Steelers wideout Diontae Johnson’s “hold-in” is over. The 26-year-old agreed to a $36.7 million extension today that will keep him in The Steel City through the 2024 season. It includes $27 million in guaranteed cash.

NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo broke the news just before noon CT. Johnson had been present at Steelers training camp in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, but was not participating for the first week of practices.

Johnson has played 47 games across his first three seasons in the Black and Gold. He has 254 receptions for 2,764 yards and 20 touchdowns. His 254 catches (first), 2,764 yards (fourth) and 20 scores (fourth) each rank in the top five among all wide receivers selected in the 2019 NFL Draft.

Four notable wideouts also selected that year – Philadelphia’s A.J. Brown, Washington’s Terry McLaurin, Seattle’s D.K. Metcalf and San Francisco’s Deebo Samuel – have all gotten new contracts this offseason. The first wide receiver taken in that draft – Marquise ‘Hollywood’ Brown – is also likely due for a new deal, but his recent arrest may put those talks on hold.

Although Johnson has been one of the most productive players among that group – and in the entire league – his deal is way below the others. As the Trib‘s Joe Rutter points out, the contract certainly does not break the bank for general manager Omar Khan.

Diontae Johnson Loves New Contract, Gets Praise from Mike Tomlin

At lunch today at Saint Vincent College, Johnson’s teammate Marcus Allen posted an Instagram story of Johnson smiling while eating a sandwich. Allen tagged Johnson’s account “@juice18 🤣🔥🔥” with a .gif of a cartoon character playing in a pile of money.

Head coach Mike Tomlin is surely happy that the Steelers locked down Diontae Johnson for the next three years. The team’s No. 1 receiving option is on board as he enters his 16th season at the helm.

“Diontae is not a big talker. He’s more of a doer and I can appreciate that,” Tomlin said during minicamp back in June. “I’m aligned with that. Just putting his head down and working every day. He’s going to provide quality examples of how to go to work. It’s going to aid guys like [rookie] George Pickens in the maturation process because he has visual examples of what he needs to do and how he needs to do it.”