For a minute, it looked like the Baltimore Ravens pulled off another classic Eric DeCosta heist. A day-three pick swap to snag a proven receiver from a bottom-feeder franchise? It barely cost anything. It almost seemed too good to be true.
Diontae Johnson came with production, playoff experience, and familiarity with the AFC North. He was supposed to help Lamar Jackson close out another Super Bowl run. That was the idea, anyway.
But anyone who watched it unfold knows this trade aged like milk. Johnson gave Baltimore four games, one six-yard catch, a full-blown sideline meltdown, and enough headaches to warrant a bottle of ibuprofen. By the time the Ravens dumped him in December, the only question left was why it had taken that long.
Now, the deal is officially cemented as the Ravens’ worst trade of the last decade. That’s not hyperbole—it’s from Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox, who called it what it was: a fiasco with no upside.
Baltimore’s gamble on Diontae Johnson backfired in every way
Knox didn’t hold back in his breakdown:
“It’s harder to find a silver lining with last year’s trade for wide receiver Diontae Johnson. Baltimore only surrendered a fifth-round pick to the Carolina Panthers for Johnson and a sixth-rounder, so it was a low-risk gamble. However, the payoff was essentially zero.
The Ravens needed receiver depth, and Johnson simply didn’t provide it. He appeared in four games, caught one six-yard pass and essentially exiled himself when he refused to enter the Week 13 game against the Philadelphia Eagles. He was waived in December, though Baltimore brought him back in January.”
It’s a wild fall for a player who was once handed a two-year, $36 million extension by the Pittsburgh Steelers. After flaming out in Pittsburgh and Carolina, Johnson landed in Baltimore with another chance to reestablish his value. Instead, he tanked it. The refusal to play in Week 13 was the final straw—one that led to a suspension and a quick exit.
Even his brief stop in Houston followed the same pattern: no impact, no buy-in, and no reason to keep him around. They cut him before a playoff game. That should say it all.
So yeah, it’s technically the Ravens’ worst trade in the last 10 years—but only because the bar is so low. They basically moved down 19 picks on Day 3 to rent a malcontent for a month. It’s hard to call that a true loss when the investment was so small. But in a franchise that prides itself on smart moves and strong culture, this one was an embarrassing swing-and-miss.
The Ravens thought they were adding a reliable route runner. Instead, they got a one-man circus with a disappearing act. You can't win them all. He’s Cleveland’s problem now—classic. And as Knox put it perfectly: Baltimore got nothing.