As the NFL looks at all the different trade options ahead of Tuesday’s deadline, one team that has already made a massive deal is the Baltimore Ravens, who acquired Diontae Johnson from the Carolina Panthers.
And yet, according to Adam Schefter, who was in the process of making various deals before the deadline for ESPN, there will be at least one familiar face in Baltimore to make Johnson feel welcome, as he is apparently very good friends with Nelson Agholor, who also grew up in Tampa, Florida.
“This week’s big trade involved the Carolina Panthers sending wide receiver Diontae Johnson to the Ravens. Johnson will make his Baltimore debut Sunday against the Broncos, but it turns out he already feels right at home with fellow Ravens receiver Nelson Agholor,” Schefter wrote for ESPN.
“Both Agholor and Johnson are from Tampa, Florida and have been close for years. Although they are three years apart in age, Agholor being 31 and Johnson 28, the receivers got to know each other through youth sports during their teenage years and attended high schools in opposite parts of town. Since then, they have remained close and train together in the offseason. After Johnson was traded to Baltimore this week, he even stayed with Agholor.
On the one hand, it must be nice for Johnson to reunite with Agholor after being exclusively on different teams thus far during their professional careers. That being said, things could get a little awkward for the dynamic duo, as Johnson was almost certainly brought to town to start, and Agholor was primarily used as the Ravens’ WR3 behind Rashod Bateman and Zay Flowers. Certainly, more than three wide receivers can work effectively within an offense, but hopefully their relationship can last if Johnson ends up benefiting from Agholor’s former production.
Diontae Johnson reveals how he found out he was traded to the Ravens
Related Baltimore Ravens NewsArticle continues below
Speaking to reporters Wednesday immediately after his big exchange, Johnson revealed to reporters how he found out about the news and his immediate reaction to having to take a flight a few hours north to Charm City.
“I was just in the crib when my agent called me and said… I talked to the general manager Eric [DeCosta] before I come here just to chat with him, and he knows I’m ready to be here and excited to be here with him and getting ready to work,” Johnson told reporters. “But once I found out where I was going, I was excited. I manage to do a lot of things just…” (expired) “Sigh of relief. So, I’m ready to work.
While that phone call almost certainly changed his career, one has to assume at least one other followed closely behind Agholor, as he probably still needed a place to crash when he landed in Baltimore. No matter how the rest of the season goes, whether the Ravens soar, fall, or stay middle of the pack, it’s nice to know that some connections are bigger than football.
