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Houston Texans Safety CJ Gardner-Johnson made an eye-opening admission on his trade from the Philadelphia Eagles. The 27-year-old has played with several teams throughout his NFL career, including twice in Philadelphia after signing a three-year deal with them last offseason. Gardner-Johnson played a key role in the Eagles' Super Bowl season, tying her career high in interceptions with 6 and appearing in all four playoff games. Despite these efforts, in what was likely a financial decision, Philadelphia dealt the safety to the Texans, who similarly have Super Bowl-caliber expectations.
As Gardner-Johnson turns his attention toward his new team, he got brutally honest about his shocked reaction to this deal. CJ did not hold back on his former team in an interview on The Pivot Podcast and even gave his reason for why the Eagles traded him.
“My agent called me at ten o’clock. You’re going to Houston. That next morning, I’m like, ‘Damn,’ I’m happy, but I’m like, ‘damn.’ I got to start all over again with a group of guys who’ve got a narrative of…and I just won a Super Bowl…Like, yo bro, I don’t know who to text. I don’t know who to call on this team. DeMeco says, ‘Welcome to Houston.’ I said, ‘DeMeco bro, I’m shook right now.’ I had to tell him, and he knew what it felt like being traded. And he was like, ‘take your time.’ I went to sign, but just don’t post me signing. I was broke…
They’re (the Eagles) scared of a competitor. You can’t program a dog. Certain dogs you can’t say if you’re a dog and than it’s time to go out there, ‘hey we need you.’ Look at the Washington Commanders game, I got kicked out. I was nowhere near that play. Everybody was fed up with me. I celebrated with Reid Blankenship. And I’m getting cursed head to toe on the sideline. Vic even got on me.”
While some of these comments may be concerning to the Texans, it's no secret that they are acquiring a competitor at safety who will immediately bolster an already elite secondary. Houston will surely have one of the best defenses in the NFL in 2025. Now it's up to third-year quarterback CJ Stroud to take the next step in his development and elevate the offense to new heights.
Overall, if the Texans live up to their on-paper potential this upcoming season, they will be a serious threat to win the AFC Conference. Gardner-Johnson has already been a part of a championship-level culture before. While the offseason split with the Eagles was clearly bitter, the Texans have to be fired up about adding this kind of player to their roster
