Diontae Johnson’s short stint with the Ravens was messy from the jump. And now, he’s finally talking. Last December, when reporters pressed John Harbaugh about Johnson’s future in Baltimore, the coach dodged with a vague, “At this time, I’m going to have to wait just to clarify it.” Not exactly a vote of confidence. The drama started way before that, though. Pittsburgh drafted Johnson in 2019, but by March 2024, the Steelers shipped him to Carolina. Then, in a twist, the Panthers flipped him to Baltimore mid-season.
Things seemed fine… until Week 13. Johnson straight-up refused to play against the Eagles, and the Ravens weren’t having it—GM Eric DeCosta suspended him for “conduct detrimental to the team.” Days later, they cut him loose. The whole thing was weird, and fans were left guessing. Now, months later, Johnson’s breaking his silence. And let’s just say… his reason? Nobody saw it coming. Turns out, Diontae Johnson’s big Ravens fallout wasn’t about drama—it was about the cold. In a recent interview, the WR finally admitted the real reason he refused to play in that Week 13 game against the Eagles last December: 41-degree weather.
“I wasn’t getting into no run plays, no passing plays or nothing. It was cold,” Johnson said. When coaches asked him to step in after Rashod Bateman got hurt, he shut it down, “Nah, I don’t think it’s a good idea for me! Like, my legs are already ice cold… I didn’t wanna go out there and put bad stuff on film.”
WR Diontae Johnson just admitted he refused to enter a game in 41° weather last year in Baltimore because he felt “ice cold”
its a good thing he’s playing this year in…
<checks notes>
CLEVELAND pic.twitter.com/sE11z4yYTh
— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) June 24, 2025
He wasn’t just being stubborn—he was “checked out mentally” long before that game. Officially, Johnson lasted just seven weeks in Baltimore, but frustration had been brewing. He barely saw the field early on (just one catch in four games) and felt ignored in an offense rolling without him.
By the Eagles game, he’d had enough. Three days later, GM Eric DeCosta called his suspension a “difficult decision,” but Johnson’s version is simpler: “I told them I’m not finna go in, so I just sat on the bench.” After that messy Eagles game, Lamar Jackson admitted he pulled Johnson aside to keep him focused. “We want him out there,” Jackson said at the time. “He’s a great receiver. We didn’t get him from the Panthers for nothing.” But by then, it was too late – Johnson’s mind was already made up.
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