Diontae Johnson inked a two-year, $36.71 million extension Thursday, keeping him under contract in Pittsburgh for the next three seasons.
Johnson hopes it's a lot longer than that.
"I love being a Steeler," Johnson said Thursday, via the team's official website. "I love it here. I want to finish my career here. Just being around my teammates and being around the atmosphere, and the energy that they show every day. You want to be around a group of guys like that every day. I felt like I made the right choice. I want to continue to be here for a long time."
If Johnson is to play his entire career in Pittsburgh, he'll need another extension in a couple of years. The 26-year-old agreed to a shorter extension to reach free agency again before he turns 30.
The $18.355 million-per-year average on the extension puts Johnson 17th among receivers, below the $20 million mark several wideouts signed for this offseason.
But Johnson doesn't believe he took a bad deal, particularly because it gives him another chance at a big payday in 2025.
"No, I felt like I took the right deal," Johnson said, via the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. "I'm not worried about what everybody else is making."
Johnson isn't worried about what other receivers in his draft class are making.
"You see the numbers," Johnson said. "I wasn't trying to look at everybody's pockets. They deserve it. I can't control what they've got going on. I'm just worried about what I've got going on. I was able to come up with something."
Johnson has improved in each of his first three seasons, including surpassing the 1,100-yard mark in 2021. If he continues on that trajectory, Johnson's pockets will get filled once again in a few years.
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