{"id":27210,"date":"2025-02-19T08:01:19","date_gmt":"2025-02-19T08:01:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=27210"},"modified":"2025-02-19T08:01:19","modified_gmt":"2025-02-19T08:01:19","slug":"ravens-eye-5x-pro-bowler-to-move-on-from-diontae-johnson-experiment-gone-wrong","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=27210","title":{"rendered":"&#8220;Ravens Eye 5X Pro Bowler to Move on from Diontae Johnson \u2018Experiment\u2019 Gone Wrong!&#8221;"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"post-featured-container-id\">\n<div id=\"post-featured\" class=\"wp-caption \">\n<div class=\"h-responsive\">\n<figure class=\"h-responsive__inner\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"attachment-featured-image size-featured-image wp-post-image\" src=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/GettyImages-2172404590-e1739907741427.jpg?quality=65&amp;strip=all&amp;w=780\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 820px) 95vw, 780px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/GettyImages-2172404590-e1739907741427.jpg?quality=65&amp;strip=all&amp;w=780 780w, https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/GettyImages-2172404590-e1739907741427.jpg?quality=15&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1100 1100w, https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/GettyImages-2172404590-e1739907741427.jpg?quality=35&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1350 1350w\" alt=\"Diontae Johnson\" width=\"780\" height=\"439\" data-img-load-time=\"945\" data-dom-ready-time=\"1172\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span class=\"caption-credit\">Getty<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"c-post-image-caption-text\">The Baltimore Ravens can forget their failed Diontae Johnson &#8220;experiment&#8221; by signing a five-time Pro Bowl wide receiver.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Putting their failed trade for\u00a0Carolina Panthers\u00a0wide receiver\u00a0Diontae Johnson\u00a0behind them would be easier for the\u00a0Baltimore Ravens\u00a0if they signed five-time Pro Bowler\u00a0DeAndre Hopkins\u00a0in 2025 NFL free agency.<\/p>\n<p>The veteran pass-catcher is a fit for the Ravens, despite \u201ca quiet postseason run\u201d with the\u00a0Kansas City Chiefs, according to\u00a0USA Today\u2019s Tyler Dragon. He pointed out how \u201cthe Diontae Johnson experiment didn\u2019t workout in Baltimore. Maybe the Ravens give Hopkins a try. Hopkins desires to play for a contender at this point in his career.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Trusting a veteran receiver to still get the job done might be less of a risk than trading for another player with unfulfilled potential. The latter approach didn\u2019t work with Johnson, but Hopkins did enough during his 12th season to prove he\u2019d be an asset alongside developing Ravens wideouts\u00a0Rashod Bateman\u00a0and\u00a0Zay Flowers.<\/p>\n<h2>DeAndre Hopkins Still Has a Lot Left<\/h2>\n<p>He\u2019s 32 and far from the All-Pro force he once was, but Hopkins still knows how to get open and make contested catches. His savvy led to 41 receptions for 437 yards and four touchdowns in 10 games after being traded to the Chiefs by the\u00a0Tennessee Titans\u00a0back in October.<\/p>\n<p>A reminder of Hopkins\u2019 ability to still get vertical came from him averaging 11.5 yards before catch per reception with the Titans and eight for the Chiefs last season, per\u00a0Pro Football Reference.<\/p>\n<p>Hopkins was still taking the top off coverage against the\u00a0Tampa Bay Buccaneers\u00a0in Week 9. The\u00a06-foot-1, 212-pounder\u00a0showed off his contested catch chops by\u00a0snatching this deep ball in between double coverage.<\/p>\n<p>He won on this route as the receiver at the top of a bunch formation, but Hopkins can still be lined up anywhere on the field. A total of 118 snaps in the slot, per Player Profiler, showed Hopkins has not lost his comfort between the numbers.<\/p>\n<p>The NFL leader in touchdown receptions in 2017 also remained a prolific threat in the red zone. Hopkins made five catches from 11 targets inside the 20-yard line, including this impressive snag to score against the Philadelphia Eagles in a losing cause during Super Bowl 59.<\/p>\n<p>He signed a two-year deal, but 2025 is a void year in Hopkins\u2019 contract with the Chiefs. A declining target share late in the season could lead to him testing the free-agent market.<\/p>\n<p>The Chiefs may not stop him since \u201cif Hopkins goes out and signs a qualifying free agent deal with another team, the Chiefs would still be eligible for a compensatory pick in 2026,\u201d according to Charles Goldman of AtoZ Sports.<\/p>\n<p>Joining the Ravens would give Hopkins a legitimate shot at another Super Bowl appearance. The move also let general manager Eric DeCosta make amends for the ill-fated Johnson deal.<\/p>\n<p>Diontae Johnson Trade a Rare Miss for Ravens<br \/>\nEx-Pittsburgh Steelers wideout Johnson never came close to making the grade at M&amp;T Bank Stadium, amid frustrations about his playing time. His reaction led to a suspension and his eventual release.<\/p>\n<p>The latter decision brought a swift and abrupt end to a sorry recent chapter in Ravens history. DeCosta and the franchise haven\u2019t often missed on veteran receivers, but Johnson offered next-to no return on an investment of a fifth-round pick in this year\u2019s draft.<\/p>\n<p>Flowers\u2019 rapid development and the emergence of Bateman meant the Ravens didn\u2019t miss Johnson. Yet, the fact DeCosta did the deal at all, underscored the need for another quality wide receiver among quarterback Lamar Jackson\u2019s supporting cast.<\/p>\n<p>Hopkins fits the bill as an enduringly marquee player at his position. One who makes sense as a go-to target for two-time NFL MVP Jackson.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Getty The Baltimore Ravens can forget their failed Diontae Johnson &#8220;experiment&#8221; by signing a five-time Pro Bowl wide receiver. Putting their failed trade for\u00a0Carolina Panthers\u00a0wide receiver\u00a0Diontae Johnson\u00a0behind&#8230; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27210","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-hot-news","category-nfl"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>&quot;Ravens Eye 5X Pro Bowler to Move on from Diontae Johnson \u2018Experiment\u2019 Gone Wrong!&quot; - 24\/7 News America<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=27210\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"&quot;Ravens Eye 5X Pro Bowler to Move on from Diontae Johnson \u2018Experiment\u2019 Gone Wrong!&quot; - 24\/7 News America\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Getty The Baltimore Ravens can forget their failed Diontae Johnson &#8220;experiment&#8221; by signing a five-time Pro Bowl wide receiver. 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