The C.J. Gardner-Johnson experience with the Baltimore Ravens has come to a screeching end.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that the Ravens are releasing the 2022 interceptions leader just one week after signing him to their practice squad. Schefter reports that Gardner-Johnson’s agent, Kevin Conner, described the release as “an amicable mutual decision.”
“After the Ravens traded for a safety, we were looking for a clearer path to play,” Conner noted.
Last week, the Los Angeles Chargers traded safety Alohi Gilman and a 2026 fifth-round pick to the Ravens in exchange for linebacker Odafe Oweh and a 2027 seventh-round pick.
Now back on the free agent market, Gardner-Johnson will look for his fourth team to suit up for this year. The veteran safety was a key part of the Philadelphia Eagles’ defense last season, which went on to defeat the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX in February.
In March, the Eagles traded Gardner-Johnson and a 2026 sixth-round pick to the Houston Texans for offensive lineman Kenyon Green and a 2025 fifth-round pick. Despite starting the first three games of the season for the Texans, the team opted to release him, with reports of behind-the-scenes friction being a root of the cause.
Before he returned to Philadelphia last season, Gardner-Johnson signed a one-year deal with the Detroit Lions for the 2023 season.
After playing the first two games of the season, the Lions placed the veteran on the injured reserve list due to a torn pectoral muscle he suffered during a Week 2 loss to the Seattle Seahawks.
Gardner-Johnson would return in the Lions’ season finale against division rival Minnesota Vikings, logging his only interception while playing in Detroit. He finished his tenure with the Lions with 17 combined tackles (16 solo), three pass deflections, and one interception in three games and two starts.
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