Diontae Johnson is their No. 1 WR, but will Steelers give him an extension like one?

Through Christmas Day, the Pittsburgh Steelers had to be feeling merry about the future of the top of their wide receivers corps.

Diontae Johnson had established himself as a legitimate NFL No. 1 WR, and at the perfect time, too, seeing as how he was due for a contract extension this offseason.

With his production, Johnson left little argument he deserves to be paid like a WR1. He finished the season tied for fifth in the NFL in catches (107) and 10th in receiving yards (1,161).

By far, Johnson led the Steelers in catches (runner-up wide receiver Chase Claypool had 59) and yards (Claypool had 860). Johnson’s eight receiving touchdowns doubled the total of the rest of the Steelers wide receivers. Johnson’s 169 targets easily paced the Steelers.

“There’s a lot of trust and faith and belief there,” Ben Roethlisberger said late this season about Johnson. “He’s shown that he’s a reliable receiver. It’s fun watching him grow.”

But could an inconsistent four-week stretch to end the season that featured in-game lapses and curious off-the-field actions give the Steelers pause when deciding whether to offer Johnson a big-money extension?

Johnson, for his part, said it would be “a blessing” to sign a long-term contract with the Steelers. “I’d be excited.”

Johnson said that two questions into a video conference call with media the day after the Steelers’ season ended with a blowout playoff loss at the Kansas City Chiefs. What he said after the first question is just a tiny example, perhaps, of a red flag.

Johnson dropped two passes (and committed a false-start penalty) during the first half of that game, and Johnson was asked what had gone wrong with the Steelers’ drops in general.

Diontae Johnson, expanding on how the offense had issues with its play calls pic.twitter.com/8UKB68MqZd

— Chris Adamski (@C_AdamskiTrib) January 17, 2022

“At the end of the day, we just do what the coaches tell us to do,” Johnson said. “All that we talked amongst each other about we see out there, but we just, certain things weren’t going our way. Certain playcalls, we just weren’t getting what we wanted to get the offense going. We can only do what we’re told to do.”

There’s no public indication Steelers brass was upset with Johnson about that. But consider how coach Mike Tomlin had answered a question the night before in the aftermath of the Kansas City loss about if his wide receivers had left plays on the table.

“Ya think?” Tomlin said, his frustration palpable.

Johnson that day also seemed to take a shot at fans who were criticizing him via a social-media post. And the week before, he teetered dangerously close to a sports world no-no — guaranteeing a victory as a big underdog — when he said “once we win.”

Johnson’s first half during the playoff game (six targets, two catches, two drops, 9 yards, one penalty) capped a four-game, late-season stretch (according to Pro Football Focus) of five drops, two penalties and a fumble. PFF’s grading system displayed that five of his six worst games of the season game were the last five games.

Not exactly embarking on the offseason with the arrow pointing up.

“I’m not going to sit up here and act like I’m perfect,” Johnson said. “I just go out there and play football at the end of the day. There’s a lot of emotions going on in the game. Sometimes you drop the ball. Big deal. Bounce back from it, make another play. That’s what I did (in the playoff game).”

Johnson indeed did, making three catches and scoring a touchdown in the second half against the Chiefs. And even with the drops and mishaps, Johnson did have three touchdowns over his final four games. He deserved his Pro Bowl selection announced Sunday.

Three seasons into his career, Diontae Johnson is the successor to Antonio Brown as the #Steelers’ No. 1 wide receiver. https://t.co/32DiOVl8MB

— Tribune-ReviewSports (@TribSports) December 9, 2021

Maybe the late-season drops were an anomaly after it appeared Johnson had fixed his 2020 brush with them by being so sure-handed early in this past season.

Over his first three NFL seasons, Johnson has twice each led the Steelers in catches, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns.

In other words, all the production of a No. 1 receiver.

But for a franchise that over 29 years of unrestricted free agency has only given two wide receivers (Hines Ward, Antonio Brown) a multiyear contract extension, will the Steelers be eager to give Johnson a deal worth more than $15 million per year?

Then again, with JuJu Smith-Schuster and James Washington headed to free agency, the Steelers suddenly are thin at receiver and perhaps can’t afford to lose Johnson. How the Steelers approach their wide receiver position — specifically, Johnson — this offseason carries significant intrigue.

“I want to be in Pittsburgh for the rest of my career,” Johnson said, “but we’ll just see what happens right now.”

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