C.J. Gardner-Johnson was too competitive and that's why he was dealt two months after helping the Philadelphia Eagles win Super Bowl LIX, the veteran safety said this week.
“Scared of a competitor,” Gardner-Johnson told The Pivot podcast. “Simple as that. ... You can't program a dawg."
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Gardner-Johnson, 27, went on to say he didn't feel support from the Eagles' coaching staff after he was ejected from a Week 16 game against the Washington Commanders. He also felt unfairly blamed for a scrum during practice.
“We had a little scrum at practice,” he said. “Nothing, just offense vs. defense, but who’s the culprit of it? Me, I guess, because we’re competing. Well, you tell me the period is live. You’re telling us not to compete during a live period, but it’s a live period and we’re getting ready for a playoff game?”
The alleged mixed messages Gardner-Johnson received from coaches and executives rubbed him the wrong way.
“You want me to be a leader and outspoken but then you want me to sit back,” he said. “There’s nowhere been a locker room where I had a single issue with a teammate.”
After playing in Philadelphia in 2022, Gardner-Johnson returned to the Eagles in March 2024 after signing a three-year, $27 million deal. He was dealt in March to the Houston Texans for offensive lineman Kenyon Green due to financial reasons, according to general manager Howie Roseman.
In June, during a livestream on Instagram, Gardner-Johnson read a comment that said, "You won't see another ring without Philly," to which he replied, "That's crazy. They probably won't see one without me. The f*** you talking about. You saw what happened when I left. I'm popping now. F*** you talking about, I'm glad I'm in Texas. They say everything is better in Texas."
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Gardner-Johnson walked back those comments this week and said he would apologize to any Eagles player if approached about what he said during the team's Super Bowl ring ceremony this week.
"It's a disrespect to Jalen Carter, A.J. Brown — I can name all those guys on that team — Lane Johnson," Gardner-Johnson said. "Because Lane is my big vet and Lane would tell me, 'Hey, Chaunce, I got your back, but when you do too much, I don't got your back. And that's one of those moments that's too much.' Because it's taken away from his career. He done it. He done it before me. Apologizing to the guys in Philly, I got nothing against them. And if they win six more rings without me, they deserve it, because that's the type of players they are."