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Veteran NFL receiver Diontae Johnson suited up for three different teams last season, including a brief and seemingly unharmonious stint with the Baltimore Ravens that saw the wideout get suspended and waived after just four games with the team.
Johnson, who signed with the Cleveland Browns during the offseason, broke his silence this month on what ultimately led to that suspension.
Cleveland Browns wide receiver Diontae Johnson (16) participates in individual drills during practice at NFL minicamp, Wednesday, Jun. 11, 2025, in Berea, Ohio. (IMAGN)
During an appearance on the “Sport and Suits” podcast, Johnson revealed it was the cold weather during the Ravens’ Week 13 matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles that prompted him to refuse to go back into the game after wide receiver Rashod Bateman went down with an injury in the third quarter.
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“It was cold. So, I’m on the sideline, just standing there, just going to the heater – back and forth – just waiting to hear my name called. So, end of third going into the fourth, they’re like, ‘Tae, we need you.’ I’m like, ‘Nah.’ To me, I’m thinking, ‘I don’t think it’s a good idea for me,’ because I was thinking about, like, my legs – I don’t want to go out there and put bad stuff on film.
“It’s not like I didn’t want to go in the game, but you’ve got to think, like, leading up to this point, I’d been through so much.”
Johnson, who is no stranger to cold-weather games after five seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers, explained that it was more than just the frigid temps that kept him out of the game.
Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Rashod Bateman (7) celebrates his touchdown scored against the Los Angeles Chargers with wide receiver Diontae Johnson (18) during the first half at SoFi Stadium on Nov. 25, 2024. (Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images)
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“I’d checked out mentally. I was like, ‘Whatever happens, happens.’ I was just rolling with the punches at that time. So, I told them I wasn’t going in. I was like, ‘I understand what you’re saying, but I’m not going to go in.’ So, I just sat on the bench, and that’s when they suspended me.”
Johnson was suspended from the Ravens’ Week 14 win over the New York Giants and was subsequently excused from all team activities the following week. He was then waived by the Ravens. He explained that he requested that he be released.
“I already knew if I went back, I was going to be in the doghouse even more,” he said. “So, I just asked to get released, and I got picked up by Houston.”
Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Diontae Johnson (18) reaches for an incomplete pass against the Pittsburgh Steelers during the first quarter at Acrisure Stadium on Nov. 17, 2024. (Barry Reeger-Imagn Images)
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Johnson was traded to the Carolina Panthers in March 2024 and then was sent to Baltimore midseason. After being released by the Ravens, he signed with the Houston Texans where he appeared in one game before being waived.
He signed a one-year deal with the Browns this offseason where he joins a receiving room that doesn’t have many viable options other than Jerry Jeudy.
As for the weather in Cleveland, Johnson already knows what’s in store for him.
“I’m not even trying to think about that.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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