Buffalo Bills safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson got in some hot water with head coach Joe Brady after live-streaming from the team’s training camp, but the veteran defensive back isn’t letting the moment sour his experience in Buffalo.
After bouncing around the NFL for several seasons, Gardner-Johnson said he sees a long-term home with the Bills and could see himself playing his remaining days in Buffalo. Gardner-Johnson is expected to compete for a starting role after some turnover in the secondary.
C.J. Gardner-Johnson Speaks out on Bills Future
Speaking on a live video from outside a dorm at the team’s training camp at St. John Fisher University near Rochester, New York, Gardner-Johnson gushed about his time in Buffalo so far and said he sees a long-term future there.
“I will be a Buffalo Bill for the next five years,” Gardner-Johnson said, adding that he wants to be a Bill for life.
The veteran defensive back had just stirred up some controversy earlier in the week, reporter Nick Wojton of USA Today’s Bills Wire noted, with Brady having to tell Gardner-Johnson to stop live-streaming from the locker room.
“Hopefully this is not a sign of things to come, but Gardner-Johnson was told to stop doing something in the Bills’ locker room by Brady on Tuesday so it’s worth noting,” Wojton wrote. “Gardner-Johnson was livestreaming his first day of training camp at St. John Fisher University.”
Gardner-Johnson seems to fit in nicely, sharing praise for the team’s secondary and coaching staff.
“I feel like the coaching and the culture here is amazing,” Gardner-Johnson said, via the team’s official website. “Like the players are already good. So, you’ve got to know how to bond that nucleus together and make a great DNA, so it doesn’t change. I think when the DNA doesn’t change, and everybody’s got that same DNA, everybody plays to that same standard⦠It’s the same message. It’s football. Go out there, execute, do what you need to do Monday through Saturday, and then let the chips fall together on Sunday.”
Gardner-Johnson added that he loves playing for new head coach Joe Brady.
“[Brady’s] everything you want as a player,” Gardner-Johnson said. “He’s [going to] hold you accountable. He likes to win, and anything less than 100% is bad. I think that’s a great message⦠A lot of guys stay after practice, listen to his message, and understand that the extra work that we put in is 100% to get better.”
The Bills safety has already endeared himself to fans, with another video showing him giving $20,000 to a team staffer to help pay off her student loans.
C.J. Gardner-Johnson Has Big Opportunity in Buffalo
Gardner-Johnson could be in line to earn a starting spot opposite Cole Bishop after the team cleared out the safety room in the offseason. The Bills parted ways with veteran Taylor Rapp and allowed Jordan Poyer to hit free agency, with the longtime safety potentially headed to retirement.
Gardner-Johnson has made six different stops along his seven NFL seasons, including separate stints with the Philadelphia Eagles. He has appeared in 87 total games with 71 starts, making 20 interceptions and 370 total tackles.
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