Now and then, sports fans will see the relationship between a team and a player break down to the point where parting ways is the only way to move forward. That is exactly what transpired this offseason with the Philadelphia Eagles trading safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson.
Much like any bad breakup, Philadelphia has seemingly moved on altogether, shifting its focus from addressing the fractured relationship with the veteran defender to doing what is necessary to repeat as champions. At the same time, one party continues to live in the past and deflects blame to the Eagles whenever the opportunity presents itself.
C.J. Gardner-Johnson: Eagles traded me because they're "scared of a competitor"https://t.co/sb9VWS2mex
— Around The NFL (@AroundTheNFL) July 16, 2025
Former Eagle C.J. Gardner-Johnson Clearly Still Unhappy with Trade
Gardner-Johnson is now a member of the Houston Texans after being dealt by the Eagles in March for Kenyon Green and a 2026 fifth-round pick. While conventional wisdom would suggest the defender would have moved on by now and shifted his focus to helping his new team continue its dominance of the AFC South, the veteran safety cannot seem to get Philadelphia off his mind.
During a recent interview with Ryan Clark on The Pivot podcast, Gardner-Johnson talked more about the end of his tenure with the Eagles and weirdly enough blamed the organization's lack of competitive spirit for the trade.
"Scared of a competitor," Gardner-Johnson replied when asked why he felt he was traded, via Kevin Patra of NFL.com. "Simple as that."
"We had a little scrum at practice," Gardner-Johnson said. "Nothing, just offense versus 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 reality of the situation is that the Eagles moved on from Gardner-Johnson for other reasons than his competitive spirit. The NFL is a business, and shrewd decisions are made every week regarding players and their standing within their respective franchises. Once you begin doing things that could hurt the team's chances of winning or their bottom line, it shouldn't be a shock when you're shown the door.
As good of a player as Gardner-Johnson is, these are the kind of things that make Howie Roseman and the front office in Philadelphia confident they made the right decision for the franchise by trading the defender to Houston when they did.