The Carolina Panthers kicked off their trade deadline by trading away Diontae Johnson. The wide receiver has landed with the Baltimore Ravens, who seemingly added a high-end wide receiver for virtually nothing. The Panthers don’t gain much from this, unless it’s addition by subtraction.

When it breaks down, the Carolina Panthers essentially traded Diontae Johnson for nothing. They will go up about fifteen steps at best on day three. At worst, they could literally move up one pick from first in the sixth to last in the fifth. They also pay part of Johnson’s salary, so there is no financial gain either.

The Panthers’ decision to bring in Johnson was a good one. He’s a legitimate wide receiver and a top-level guy. Sending away Donte Jackson, who was wildly inconsistent, and moving up a lap was the icing on the cake.

It just didn’t work, and while his on-field production was strong, the Panthers now seem to regret everything. They almost certainly could have waited or at least gotten something more valuable for Johnson. Now wasn’t necessarily the time to strike, but they did anyway.

It’s not uncommon for teams to have moves that don’t pan out and have to “pay up” to move on. The Panthers technically didn’t pay, but it certainly seems like they were desperate to get Johnson out. Maybe they feel it’s time to give Xavier Legette, Jalen Coker and Jonathan Mingo almost all the targets now.

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