Last month, the reigning Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles shocked their fanbase and the entire NFL world, trading ballhawk C.J. Gardner-Johnson and a 2026 sixth-round pick to the Houston Texans in exchange for offensive lineman Kenyon Green and a 2026 fifth-round pick.
Eagles fans were not enthused about the trade, as Gardner-Johnson returned to the club last year after spending the 2023 season with the Detroit Lions. Last offseason, the Eagles signed the veteran safety to a three-year, $27 million deal.
In his first year back with the team, Gardner-Johnson recorded 59 combined tackles, 12 pass deflections, six interceptions (one returned for a defensive touchdown), two tackles for loss, and a forced fumble.
He also played an instrumental role in the Eagles getting back to the Super Bowl for the second time in the last three years and ultimately winning the big game.
After the trade went down, the veteran safety spoke about it on his livestream and had no hard feelings toward the Eagles. However, Gardner-Johnson took to social media recently and had a different tune regarding the trade.
“People showed me their true colors when I got traded. That’s why you haven’t heard from me,” the former Eagles safety said on Instagram (h/t John Clark of NBC Sports Philadelphia).
“People showed me their true colors when I got traded. That’s why you haven’t heard from me.”
— John Clark (@JClarkNBCS) April 7, 2025
CJ Gardner Johnson on the Eagles trading him to Houston. On his IG pic.twitter.com/VpmOtnk00o
As you can imagine, Eagles fans didn’t try to read too much into what Gardner-Johnson posted on social media. In fact, some fans just played it off as CJGJ being CJGJ.
The Eagles' fanbase knows and understands what type of player he is and the emotion he plays with on the field. Most Eagles fans wanted him to stay, given that the team saw Darius Slay and Isaiah Rodgers Sr. leave in free agency.
The Eagles have yet to replace Gardner-Johnson this offseason, so we’ll see if they will regret moving on from the ballhawk.