CJ Gardner-Johnson is on the move again. After winning Super Bowl LIX with the Philadelphia Eagles, the outspoken safety has been reportedly traded to the Houston Texans.
Gardner-Johnson is making the move back south in exchange for offensive lineman Kenyon Green. In 2024, the safety snagged six interceptions for a total of 116 returned yards and a touchdown. He also deflected 12 passes and forced a fumble. He finished the season with 59 tackles, including 35 solo, and two tackles for a loss.
He spent the first three seasons of his career with the New Orleans Saints from 2019-2021. In 2022, the Saints traded Gardner-Johnson to the Eagles for a 2023 fifth round pick and the 199th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. The fifth round pick, defensive back Terell Smith, ended up being made by the Chicago Bears, and the 2024 pick was defensive tackle Khristian Boyd. Boyd made three tackles in his rookie season.
In 2023, Gardner-Johnson said he was treated "very better" in Philadelphia than when he was in New Orleans.
"You play better ball when you're around better guys," Gardner-Johnson said. "Around better athletes."
He then doubled down on his criticism of the franchise after the Eagles beat the Saints 15-12 in 2024, when he called New Orleans "pretenders."
"They have Derek Carr," Gardner-Johnson said, according to Bridget Condon. "Remember that."
Gardner-Johnson played a season with the Detroit Lions in 2023 before returning to the Eagles in 2024 on a three-year contract. Now, he joins a Texans secondary that features former LSU standout defensive back Derek Stingley Jr. and safety Calen Bullock, who grabbed five interceptions in his rookie season in 2024.