This time a year ago, Diontae Johnson was dotting the I’s and crossing the T’s of a new three-year, $39.5 million contract, and Mitch Trubisky was operating as the clear-cut starting quarterback in training camp.

Nearly 365 days later, Johnson has a front-row seat to the rise of George Pickens, and Trubisky is taking a backseat to unquestioned No. 1 QB Kenny Pickett. If there’s any friction, frustration, or natural human tendency to feel forgotten about, neither Johnson nor Trubisky shows any signs of it.

“I know my role. I’m embracing it,” Trubisky said before Thursday’s practice. “I’m trying to help coach and teach these guys, but continue to get better at my craft, as well.”

Johnson’s situation is different, given he’s still a starter who figures to see loads of targets. Trubisky will wear a ballcap for every snap of the 2023 season if all goes to plan.

But there’s no doubt that Johnson is something of an old, reliable sweater with a few snags in it, while Pickens is like a flashy new jumpsuit that has everyone looking — and talking.

“Even before I even met George, I used to see crazy catches of him all over the Internet,” said his college teammate Broderick Jones. “It’s just tough to do what he does on a daily basis, because that’s just him.”

Of course, Johnson is plenty capable of turning heads with circus catches. But it was Pickens who went viral Tuesday with a one-handed grab over Joey Porter Jr. It’s Pickens who boldly called himself the best wide receiver on the planet in an interview with Kevin Clark of The Ringer early in camp.

So, at one of football’s most mercurial positions — the term “diva” only ever seems to be applied to wide receivers — does Johnson ever feel overlooked or even envious of the attention lavished on Pickens? His answer: Not at all. He’s staying above any outside criticisms or comparisons.

“For sure, because it’s George. You’ve got to expect that stuff from him,” Johnson said of those unique catches. “When it happens, I can’t do nothing but be happy for him, like I always am. I want to continue to do that. Because if it was me, they would show the same love, so it’s only right for me to show love to him when he makes those plays.”

“You can’t go out seeking that, so I’ll just be myself out there.”

Johnson’s ease in getting open has been on display in camp, including Wednesday when he easily beat cornerback Levi Wallace on a route to the sideline and made a catch of 20-some yards from Pickett in a drill where every down is third down. That was the good. The bad was a drop in the “7 shots” goal-line period to open practice, and the awkward was a timing play on which Johnson slipped as he made his break back to Pickett but still managed to complete the catch on his way to the ground.

He doesn’t see many reps these days with Trubisky — who’s firmly the No. 2 behind Pickett — although it was Trubisky who still put a deep touchdown throw of 45 yards or so right on the money to speedster Calvin Austin in stride down the right sideline Thursday when the second-team offense went live against the second-team defense.

Trubisky knows he needs to stay ready in the event of an injury to Pickett, which happened a couple of times last season. That’s the job of any backup quarterback, but for the second overall pick in 2017, this isn’t how most envisioned his NFL career playing out. Trubisky, however, said it didn’t take a deep conversation with anyone or a lot of self-reflection for him to accept his place.

“Not really. You know what to do, right? You know your role, you know what to do in it, and now I can just go out there and play football,” he said. “I don’t have to worry about anything else, so I feel very comfortable. I’m excited to be back, and I love being part of this team, so it makes everything else easy.”

Certainly, the financial incentive is there, too — for Trubisky and Johnson. Trubisky is the highest-paid backup in the league this season, per overthecap.com, and he makes more than Pickett does in Year 2 of a rookie contract.

Johnson finds himself in the top 15 NFL receivers in annual salary, so he’s already cashed in on the kind of deal Pickens hopes to sign someday. It’s life-altering money, and in listening to Johnson, it gives him peace of mind in his career, too.

“I don’t really have nothing to worry about. I can just go out there and play freely, get that chemistry with my quarterback out there on the field, and help my guys and be the leader I know I can be,” Johnson said. “I know in the past I wasn’t a vocal leader, but this year I’m trying to change a little bit — be more vocal and lead by example on the field.

“So, just little things like that. And just being able to take care of my family, that’s the big part.”