CHARLOTTE: The Panthers concluded two transactions that indicate their future on Wednesday as they began the new league season.
To provide quarterback Bryce Young with a dependable target and a player who has demonstrated the ability to go open and make plays, the team acquired wide receiver Diontae Johnson of the Steelers.
Gaining a proven receiver with Pro Bowl experience, the Panthers traded cornerback Donte Jackson and a sixth-round pick (178th overall) to the Steelers in exchange for Johnson and a seventh-round pick (240th).
They also traded a second-round pick (39th), a higher fifth-round pick (141st), and a 2025 fifth-rounder to the Giants in exchange for outside linebacker Brian Burns and a fifth-round pick (166th overall) in a previous deal. They now have two picks in the top 40 (ranked 33rd and 39th), which increases their draft stockpile.
Still, the Johnson deal ought to have an immediate effect.
In his five seasons with the Steelers, Johnson has caught 391 receptions for 4,363 yards and 25 touchdowns, providing them with the experience and output they required. With a young group behind Adam Thielen, including Jonathan Mingo, Ihmir Smith-Marsette, and others, the Panthers needed a tried-and-true target.
Johnson increased his yards per catch from the previous season to 51 catches for 717 yards.
Former club captain Jackson, who was selected by the team in the second round of the 2018 NFL Draft, has 14 interceptions in six seasons here, good for fifth place on the team’s all-time list along with Doug Evans and Richard Marshall.
Despite playing in 16 games for a club severely impacted by injuries at the position last year, he was not selected. His Achilles tendon ruptured during the second half of the 2022 season.
The Panthers were able to clear $24 million in cap space right away by releasing Burns, which enabled them make room for their early free agency splash.
Burns, the team’s first-round pick in 2019, saw two Pro Bowls and recorded 46.0 sacks in five seasons.
The Panthers now have seven selections overall in the 2024 draft after the two transactions.
Former club captain Jackson, who was selected by the team in the second round of the 2018 NFL Draft, has 14 interceptions in six seasons here, good for fifth place on the team’s all-time list along with Doug Evans and Richard Marshall.
Despite playing in 16 games for a club severely impacted by injuries at the position last year, he was not selected. His Achilles tendon ruptured during the second half of the 2022 season.
The Panthers were able to clear $24 million in cap space right away by releasing Burns, which enabled them make room for their early free agency splash.
Burns, the team’s first-round pick in 2019, saw two Pro Bowls and recorded 46.0 sacks in five seasons.
The Panthers now have seven selections overall in the 2024 draft after the two transactions.
Former club captain Jackson, who was selected by the team in the second round of the 2018 NFL Draft, has 14 interceptions in six seasons here, good for fifth place on the team’s all-time list along with Doug Evans and Richard Marshall.
Despite playing in 16 games for a club severely impacted by injuries at the position last year, he was not selected. His Achilles tendon ruptured during the second half of the 2022 season.
The Panthers were able to clear $24 million in cap space right away by releasing Burns, which enabled them make room for their early free agency splash.
Burns, the team’s first-round pick in 2019, saw two Pro Bowls and recorded 46.0 sacks in five seasons.
The Panthers now have seven selections overall in the 2024 draft after the two transactions.
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