Diontae Johnson contract a win for everybody; Oneil Cruz is the hope

The Steelers signed their star wide receiver and the Pirates' young star makes it easy to dream

• Today on the Pittsburgh Substack the Pittsburgh Steelers finally worked out a new deal with wide receiver Diontae Johnson.

• Oneil Cruz is worth watching every night even if the Pirates are not.

Diontae Johnson contract is a win for everybody, but mostly the Steelers

The big news at Steelers training camp on Thursday: A new two-year contract extension for wide receiver Diontae Johnson that pays him over $18 million per season. Let’s dig into why it is pretty close to a perfect deal for both sides, but mostly the Steelers.

Why it is a win for Johnson: In the short-term Johnson gets a substantial raise over his previous deal and more than he would have gotten had the Steelers franchise-tagged when his current deal ends. It also allows him to potentially hit unrestricted free agency in a couple of years while he will still be at an age that has him in the prime of his career and, in theory, could result in an even bigger payday for himself. As long as he produces during the life of this contract.