Diontae Johnson Waived by Texans Ahead of Chiefs Game in 2025 NFL Playoffs

The Houston Texans announced Tuesday they waived veteran wide receiver Diontae Johnson.

The move comes before Houston is scheduled to face Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs in Saturday's AFC Divisional Round matchup. It also ends Johnson's short time with the team, as the Texans claimed him off waivers on Dec. 23.

"With Diontae, unfortunately it didn't work out and we're on to the Chiefs," head coach DeMeco Ryans told reporters Tuesday.

It has been quite an adventurous stretch for Johnson.

He started the 2024 calendar year on the Pittsburgh Steelers, which was a familiar setting considering they drafted him in 2019 and relied on him for his first five seasons. However, they traded him to the Carolina Panthers in March.

Johnson then played seven games for Carolina before it traded him to the Baltimore Ravens in October.

The 28-year-old played four games with one total catch in Baltimore during a tenure that also saw him suspended for a game for refusing to enter a matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles. The Ravens eventually released him, which opened up the window for the Texans to claim him off waivers.

Johnson's time in Houston was uninspiring.

He played in two games, catching two passes for 12 yards in the Texans' regular-season finale and totaling one catch for 12 yards in the Wild Card Round win over the Los Angeles Chargers.

The season was a far cry from some of his best times on the Steelers. He was a Pro Bowler with 107 catches for 1,161 yards and eight touchdowns during the 2021 season, which was part of a stretch of four straight years with more than 700 receiving yards.

Given that track record, Johnson will surely catch on with a different team in 2025. And he will be looking for far more stability than he had this past season.