The Cleveland Browns have decided to release veteran wide receiver Diontae Johnson, according to a league source. Johnson confirmed the news via a post on X.
In April, Cleveland signed Johnson to a one-year contract, with the veteran minimum salary ($1.17 million) without guaranteed money. This move marks the fourth team for Johnson, 29, in two years, after a 2024 season full of ups and downs, where he was with the Carolina Panthers, Baltimore Ravens and Houston Texans. In June, Johnson mentioned that the Browns were the only team that approached him during free agency, and that he was looking to change that narrative in Cleveland. After leading the Panthers with 30 receptions and 357 yards in the first two months of the 2024 season, Johnson was traded to the Ravens along with a sixth-round draft pick, in exchange for Baltimore’s fifth-round pick. His time with the Ravens lasted seven weeks, where he managed one reception, six yards, and a suspension for refusing to play in a game against the Philadelphia Eagles. After Baltimore released him, Johnson was claimed by the Texans on December 23, logging two receptions for 12 yards in a game with Houston. He was then released by the Texans on January 14, after being upset about playing only 15 plays in the playoff victory against the Los Angeles Chargers. In his brief stint with the Browns, Johnson caught three passes for six yards in three preseason games. Selected in the third round of the 2019 NFL draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers, Johnson was selected for the Pro Bowl in 2021, achieving his only 1,000-yard season and a maximum of eight touchdown receptions in the last year of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.I appreciate the opportunity, regardless.
Diontae Johnson
