Pittsburgh sent Diontae Johnson and pick No. 240 to Carolina…

Pittsburgh and Carolina entered the deal with different roster needs. The Steelers were willing to move Diontae Johnson as they reshaped their receiver room, while the Panthers wanted a proven target for Bryce Young. Pittsburgh also needed more speed and experience opposite Joey Porter Jr. The final terms sent Johnson and pick No. 240 to Carolina for cornerback Donte Jackson and pick No. 178, which Pittsburgh used on defensive lineman Logan Lee.

Jackson gave Pittsburgh the clearest immediate return. He stepped into the starting lineup and intercepted five passes during the 2024 regular season, helping a defense that reached the playoffs. His stay lasted only one season before he left in free agency, so this was not a long-term home run, and Lee has not developed into a major contributor. Still, Jackson filled an obvious need and produced turnovers at a level Pittsburgh could point to immediately.

Carolina’s Johnson experiment ended much faster. In seven games with the Panthers, he caught 30 passes for 357 yards and three touchdowns. By the 2024 trade deadline, Carolina sent Johnson and a sixth-round pick to Baltimore for a fifth-round selection. That later move prevented the Panthers from losing all residual value, but it also confirmed that Johnson never became the multi-season receiving piece envisioned in March.

The original C/C even grade gave both clubs too much credit for symmetry and not enough weight to the actual results. Pittsburgh received a starting corner who generated five interceptions during a playoff season. Carolina received seven games of useful but unspectacular receiving production before moving the player again. Because neither Jackson nor Johnson became a lasting cornerstone, the Steelers do not merit an elite grade. A B for Pittsburgh and C- for Carolina better reflects a clear but limited Steelers win.