The Diontae Johnson saga in Baltimore continues for another week.
The Ravens said in a Monday statement that Johnson and the team have "mutually agreed" to excuse the wide receiver from team activities this week ahead of Saturday's pivotal game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
"All I'm really thinking about right now is Pittsburgh and getting our team ready for Pittsburgh," Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said during his Monday news conference, . "He won't be here this week and next week will take care of itself."
It's a surprising twist to what has been a dramatic few weeks for the veteran wide receiver since his mid-season trade to Baltimore where he has been a non-factor in the team's passing game.
The Ravens suspended Johnson for one game on Dec. 4 after he refused to enter their Week 13 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. With Baltimore holding a Week 14 bye, Johnson sat out this past Sunday's win over the New York Giants and was expected to return to the club this week.
That is no longer the case.
"There are reasons for doing things, front office type reasons," Harbaugh said on Monday, , when asked why the team does not simply release Johnson. "I want to think about Pittsburgh and the guys who are going to be here getting ready to play Pittsburgh. That's my focus 100 percent."
Baltimore (9-5) currently is one game behind first-place Pittsburgh (10-4) in the AFC North.
