Baltimore Ravens suspended WR Diontae Johnson after he refused to enter Sunday's game against Philadelphia Eagles

Diontae Johnson, a wide receiver for the Baltimore Ravens, has been suspended for one game without pay for conduct detrimental to the team. Johnson will miss the game against the Giants after the bye, causing frustration among his new team. His lack of playing time is surprising since Johnson joined a Ravens offense lacking an obvious field-stretcher in the wide receiver room. Second-year pro Zay Flowers can win underneath and across the middle, while veteran Nelson Agholor also works well between the numbers.
Baltimore Ravens suspended wide receiver Diontae Johnson after refusing to enter Sunday's game against Philadelphia Eagles, preventing him from the upcoming Dec. 15 road game against the New York Giants. "We have made the difficult decision to suspend Diontae Johnson for our upcoming game against the New York Giants for conduct detrimental to the team," Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta said in a statement Wednesday.

The fact that Johnson has been traded around the league already twice in the season after being a Pro Bowler in 2021 is nothing compared to one catch for six yards in four games since moving to the Ravens. Johnson caught 30 passes for 357 yards in seven games for the Carolina Panthers before the trade. He spent his first five seasons in Pittsburgh.
For a team like the Ravens (8-5) being an obvious long shot for the Super Bowl, this is the last thing they need. Basically, he is sending messages that show he thinks of himself above the team, which is what the rest of the team is trying to get away from and have the organization work to.
Johnson was chosen by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the third round of the 2019 NFL draft from college football at Toledo Rockets. He has also played with Carolina Panthers. Johnson was traded on March 12, 2024, from the Steelers to the Carolina Panthers for cornerback Donte Jackson and the 178th overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft, a pick that was used by Pittsburgh to draft Iowa DT Logan Lee.
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On October 29, 2024, Johnson was traded to the Baltimore Ravens along with a 2025 sixth-round pick for a 2025 fifth-round pick. On December 4, Eric DeCosta, Executive Vice President and General Manager of the Ravens, announced that Johnson was suspended for one game due to conduct detrimental to the team. Against the Philadelphia Eagles, where the Ravens lost 24-19, Johnson refused to enter Week 13's game.