Getty Images

The Cleveland Browns signed veteran wide receiver Diontae Johnson on Monday.

The Baltimore Ravens thought they were doing Diontae Johnson a solid — and helping themselves, of course — when they traded a 5th-round pick to the lowly Carolina Panthers for the former NFL All-Pro in October 20224.

In return for a chance to play for a Super Bowl contender, finish the season out strong, and probably set himself up for another major payday, Johnson gave them headaches.

After a bizarre incident in which he refused to go into a game against the Philadelphia Eagles in December 2024 — and was subsequently suspended and then released — Johnson is giving his side of the story.

Like most things with Johnson, it went poorly.

Appearing on a podcast recently, Johnson’s re-telling of the story boils down to that he thought being the 4th receiver and coming off the bench with 4 minutes left in the 4th quarter after starter Rashod Bateman was, in so many words, beneath him.

“Bate went down, they called me like ‘Tae, we need you.’ I’m like, nah, I don’t know man … I ain’t gonna go cause I don’t wanna pull nothing,” Johnson said. “I’m just finna sit right here, coach … That’s when they suspended me.”