Johnson 'mentally checked out' with Ravens, Texans
Diontae Johnson recently revealed that he "mentally checked out" during his short stints with the Ravens and Texans last season when he wasn't incorporated into their offenses as much as he would've liked.
On a recent episode of the Sports and Suits podcast, Johnson talked about his new opportunity with the Browns and also went into detail about his short stints with the Ravens and Texans. Johnson said his four-game stint with the Ravens was a "tough situation" for him. He said he loved the players while he was there, but said it ultimately wasn't "for me."
"Just going in, I checked out mentally when I got there," Johnson said. "I just felt like I wasn't getting used. I don't want to say used as far as being selfish, but feeling a part of the team and I just checked out."
The former Steelers receiver said his breaking point with Baltimore came when he refused to enter the Ravens' Dec. 1 matchup against the Eagles because he was "ice cold" from not playing throughout the game when the temperatures dipped into the 30s.
Johnson didn't record a snap in the 24-19 loss but said he was asked to enter the game around the beginning of the fourth quarter and refused to go in.
"I was like 'Nah, I don't think it's a good idea for me.' Like, my legs are already ice cold and I didn't want to go out there and put bad stuff on film. It's not like I didn't wanna go into the game, but leading up to this point, I had been through so much ... I told them I'm not finna go in, so I just sat on the bench and that's when they suspended me."
Johnson was released on Dec. 20 and was claimed by the Texans, which is where more issues surfaced. Johnson said the Texans made it seem like he'd be used in the offense, but he wasn't.
"Come game time, they were putting the younger guys in," Johnson said. "I understood it was the guys they drafted and I had to wait my turn ... It was bad timing. I checked out mentally and I went to talk to the head coach (DeMeco Ryans) right after the game. I didn't want to wait. I had a drug test, but I'm like 'I don't want to wait, I'm trying to talk to the head coach.' After that, they said I was a distraction and they released me."
Johnson said he was waiting for calls this offseason, but no one other than the Browns called. He signed a one-year, $1.2 million contract.
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THE ASYLUM
Greg Macafee
12:39 am - 06.26.2025DOWNTOWNJohnson 'mentally checked out' with Ravens, Texans
Diontae Johnson recently revealed that he "mentally checked out" during his short stints with the Ravens and Texans last season when he wasn't incorporated into their offenses as much as he would've liked.
On a recent episode of the Sports and Suits podcast, Johnson talked about his new opportunity with the Browns and also went into detail about his short stints with the Ravens and Texans. Johnson said his four-game stint with the Ravens was a "tough situation" for him. He said he loved the players while he was there, but said it ultimately wasn't "for me."
"Just going in, I checked out mentally when I got there," Johnson said. "I just felt like I wasn't getting used. I don't want to say used as far as being selfish, but feeling a part of the team and I just checked out."
The former Steelers receiver said his breaking point with Baltimore came when he refused to enter the Ravens' Dec. 1 matchup against the Eagles because he was "ice cold" from not playing throughout the game when the temperatures dipped into the 30s.
Johnson didn't record a snap in the 24-19 loss but said he was asked to enter the game around the beginning of the fourth quarter and refused to go in.
"I was like 'Nah, I don't think it's a good idea for me.' Like, my legs are already ice cold and I didn't want to go out there and put bad stuff on film. It's not like I didn't wanna go into the game, but leading up to this point, I had been through so much ... I told them I'm not finna go in, so I just sat on the bench and that's when they suspended me."
Johnson was released on Dec. 20 and was claimed by the Texans, which is where more issues surfaced. Johnson said the Texans made it seem like he'd be used in the offense, but he wasn't.
"Come game time, they were putting the younger guys in," Johnson said. "I understood it was the guys they drafted and I had to wait my turn ... It was bad timing. I checked out mentally and I went to talk to the head coach (DeMeco Ryans) right after the game. I didn't want to wait. I had a drug test, but I'm like 'I don't want to wait, I'm trying to talk to the head coach.' After that, they said I was a distraction and they released me."
Johnson said he was waiting for calls this offseason, but no one other than the Browns called. He signed a one-year, $1.2 million contract.
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