If you have any familiarity with the Philadelphia Eagles, then you probably know about the brashness of veteran safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson — a player who has spent the first 6 seasons of his career playing on the razor’s edge.
That’s why it should come as no surprise when Gardner-Johnson sounded off ahead of his second Super Bowl appearance with the Eagles on February 9 against the Kansas City Chiefs. It’s also a Super Bowl appearance that comes with a 1-year sojourn for Gardner-Johnson to play for the Detroit Lions in 2023, where he came 1 win from playing in the Super Bowl as the Lions advanced to the NFC Championship Game.
While Gardner-Johnson returned to the Eagles on a 3-year, $27 million contract in 2024, his time with Lions stuck with the former Florida star … the same way gum sticks to the bottom of your shoe.
“It was hell,” Gardner-Johnson told Detroit Free Press reporter Dave Birkett on February 6. “I got lied to, so it was, whatever. I got told, respectfully, I was going to get brought back and didn’t get brought back. And offseason went real for me, signing back (with the Eagles) because I wasn’t really tripping on it. It all worked out.”
Playing on a 1-year, $6.5 million contract with the Lions after failing to reach a long-term deal with the Eagles following the 2022 season, Gardner-Johnson missed 15 regular-season games for the Lions in 2023 with a torn pectoral muscle. He returned to play all 3 postseason games, including a loss to the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship Game.
If There’s Drama, CGJ is Probably Involved
Gardner-Johnson — who has said several times he plans on legally changing his name to “Ceedy Deuce” — has one of the more colorful histories of fines and on-field incidents in recent memory.
Drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the fourth round (No, 105 overall) of the 2019 NFL draft, Gardner-Johnson has racked up almost $200,000 in fines for a variety of offenses across his first 6 seasons. Three times for illegal hits. Twice for unsportsmanlike conduct. Twice for fighting … and 6 times for taunting.
Named ‘Most Annoying’ NFL Player by Peers
In an anonymous poll of 110 NFL players by The Athletic released on November 27, Gardner-Johnson was the runaway winner in response to a question: “Most annoying player in the NFL?”
Gardner-Johnson wound up with 20.9 percent of the vote, far outdistancing Las Vegas Raiders defensive tackle Christian Wilkins in second place with 11.9 percent.
It was the second year in a row Gardner-Johnson topped a specific category in The Athletic’s anonymous poll, with the “Most Annoying” category changed from when he topped the list for “Biggest Trash Talker” in 2023.
From The Athletic: “Last season we asked players to name the biggest trash-talker. This year, we broadened the question to most annoying, leaving it to the players’ discretion to decide what qualified as annoying. Well, last year’s biggest trash-talker, Philadelphia Eagles defensive back C.J. Gardner-Johnson, took the crown again.”
More often than not, Gardner-Johnson’s mouth has taken away from his brilliance on the field. He led the NFL with 6 interceptions in 2022 and had another outstanding season in 2024 on the NFL’s No. 1 defense with 59 tackles, 6 interceptions, 12 pass deflections, 1 interception return for a touchdown and 1 forced fumble.
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