Don’t look now, but C.J. Gardner-Johnson is following Malcolm Jenkins in Tuesday’s stunning Saints-Eagles trade. Jenkins, of course, started his career as a highly-touted slot corner and won a Super Bowl with the New Orleans Saints. When things soured after he struggled in a new role as the team’s starting free safety, the Saints opted to part ways with him. He went to the Philadelphia Eagles and won another Super Bowl, earning a lot of love from the fans in Philly, too.
Gardner-Johnson’s story so far kind of looks like what Jenkins may have experienced on Earth-2 or some other alternate universe. He landed in New Orleans as a mid-round pick, loved by draftniks but overlooked by most teams, and it took some time before he elbowed his way into the lineup and took Jenkins’ old spot covering the slot. He came awful close to winning a title or two with the Saints, too, but his biggest win was ascending to household name status among the fanbase.
Now he’s been traded to the same team that once signed Jenkins, where he’ll likely play the same role as a starting safety in the Eagles defense. Whether or not Gardner-Johnson finds as much success remains to be seen. It’s also unclear whether he’ll someday return to New Orleans. That feels unlikely given everything involved, both the money Gardner-Johnson is seeking that the Saints aren’t willing to pay as well as the emotions that go into these decisions, but you never know. Mark Ingram found his way back to the Saints after moving on to a couple of different teams.
So did Jenkins. The next time fans see Gardner-Johnson he’ll be wearing an Eagles uniform. But it’s far too soon to say that it’ll be the last they seen of him. In any case, it’s a cool parallel between two one-time teammates who shared so much in common while seeing such different experiences.
