I still don't understand why Baltimore didn't just suspend him RoS for conduct detrimental and hold out for a comp pick next year when he signs elsewhere. Typically Baltimore works the comp pick system better than almost anyone.
Don't think the players union would have allowed that. DJ would have had to refuse to play every week for that to happen IIRC.
The 49ers suspended their player for the rest of the season who refused to play just recently. Unsure if their player said he wasn’t playing for the rest of the season, only that he refused to play week 15. I’d be surprised if the Ravens were handcuffed in any way if they elected to suspend Johnson the remainder of the year.
Doing some more research looks like the max for a Conduct Detrimental Suspension is 4 games. So Ravens could have suspended him the rest of the regular season. Can only speculate why they didn't at this point. Maybe his refusal to play situation wasn't as egregious as Campbell's? Or maybe they didn't want him coming back to practice with his attitude after a long suspension in the middle of the playoffs?
They may have had an issue suspending for the full 4 games. Can't be sure but remember before SF suspended Campbell for the remaining 3 games they said they were first checking in with the league office to see their options. There could be other things Campbell did that were documented in his file. 4 games is the max but does not mean teams can suspend that long without justification, whether not entering a game is that justification I don't know.
My guess is it's just not a fight Baltimore wanted to fight. Not worth it. He had to sign somewhere for $5m in annual pay to net a 6th round pick in 2026. Just to much hassle for something that has a slim chance of happening.
Also Baltimore has shown, to steal a Tomlinism, they want volunteers not hostages. I believe they've had 5 players over the last few years request trades and they've accommodated 4 of the 5, with Lamar the lone exception. If you don't want to be there, they'll generally show you the door.