Wide receiver Diontae Johnson is about to become a Carolina Panther, set to catch passes from QB Bryce Young. Had a deal between them and the Pittsburgh Steelers not happened, Johnson might’ve been catching passes from Patrick Mahomes instead. According to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, the Steelers talked to the Kansas City Chiefs about a trade before sending him to Carolina.

“He had permission, his agent did…to go seek a trade,” Garafolo said on NFL Total Access Tuesday night. “They talked to a few teams. The Kansas City Chiefs, they had conversations with them at some point. But it didn’t seem like they’d trade him within the AFC to a contender, if possible. Sending him to the NFC to the Carolina Panthers, who have been looking to add receivers since last year.”

It’s not clear how advanced those talks became or what the compensation would’ve been had an agreement been worked out. There was no mention in Garafolo’s report of Chiefs CB L’Jarius Sneed, franchise tagged and himself given permission to seek a trade.

Instead of the Chiefs, the Steelers sent Diontae Johnson out of the conference and received CB Donte Jackson in return. In addition to the rare player swap, the two teams also exchanged Day Three draft picks. Pittsburgh will receive a Panthers’ sixth-round selection, while Carolina will get back a Steelers’ seventh-round pick.

The Chiefs have been searching for wide receiver help, a real weakness throughout most of the 2023 season that stunted the offense and made Mahomes and company look mortal for once. While TE Travis Kelce still made plays, the Chiefs dropped far too many passes and failed to make impact plays. Johnson, of course, struggled with drop issues but cleaned up those problems in recent years.

For Kansas City, rookie Rashee Rice came on strong during the team’s Super Bowl run, and Mahomes played Houdini en route to another Lombardi. The Chiefs were expected to target a receiver in free agency. Reportedly, they were in the mix for Chicago Bears WR Darnell Mooney, who signed with the Atlanta Falcons instead.

Ultimately, the deal that was made is the only one that matters. But it would’ve been interesting to see if Pittsburgh would’ve sent Diontae Johnson to the Kansas City Chiefs if they couldn’t find other suitors, helping the Super Bowl favorite get a little bit better. Trading him to the Panthers is clearly a better outcome for the Steeler’s chances, though the return they got back suggests the Steelers are a less talented roster post-Johnson trade.