The Philadelphia Eagles saw several members of their championship roster from the 2024 season move on this offseason.
One player who thought he'd still be a starter for the Eagles was ultimately traded to the Houston Texans in March, as C.J. Gardner-Johnson was shipped out of the City of Brotherly Love in exchange for offensive lineman Kenyon Green and a 2026 fifth-round draft pick.
There have been many theories as to why Philadelphia's front office made this move. Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio put that speculation to rest on Tuesday, though, by addressing the question directly. According to Fangio, this move was made solely because of the salary cap, and he had no issues with Howie Roseman making the trade he did.
Vic Fangio Not Upset With Eagles Over Trading Gardner-Johnson
Vic Fangio on the CJGJ trade:
— Brandon Lee Gowton (@BrandonGowton) June 3, 2025
“That was a salary cap type thing. I was fine with it.”#Eagles
Fangio's stance is in line with exactly what Roseman said in April when asked for his reasoning behind the deal. In the end, the impact that Gardner-Johnson's contract had on the bottom line made him expendable so that money could be used to fill other holes on the roster with younger, less expensive talent.
"Every dollar that you spend is a dollar less that you can spend on some of these younger players that maybe you want to retain," Roseman said, via NBC Sports Philadelphia. "Getting out in front of it was important to us. And again, hard decisions. Not asking anyone to agree with them, but that's part of our job."
This past season, Gardner-Johnson started in all 16 of the games he appeared in and recorded six interceptions to go along with 59 total tackles, 12 pass deflections, and one forced fumble. With Gardner-Johnson out of the picture, the expectation is that Reed Blankenship will step in and serve as the Eagles' starting strong safety.
The salary cap forces front offices to make tough decisions on players every year. Only time will tell if Philadelphia lives to regret this trade or if Roseman made the right call shipping Gardner-Johnson to Houston.