As he prepares to play in his second Super Bowl as a member of the Philadelphia Eagles, safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson is looking back at his one season with the Detroit Lions, and he's not doing so fondly.
Gardner-Johnson, speaking to Dave Birkett of The Detroit Free Press at media availability before Super Bowl LIX, characterized his one season in Detroit as "hell,” saying that the Lions led him on about their apparent desire to bring him back in free agency.
"It was hell," Gardner-Johnson said. "I got lied to, so it was, whatever. I got told, respectfully, I was going to get brought back and didn’t get brought back. And offseason went real for me, signing back here because I wasn’t really tripping on it. It all worked out."
After spending the first three seasons of his career with the New Orleans Saints, Gardner-Johnson was dealt to Philadelphia in August of 2022, where had the best season of his career to date, tallying six interceptions and a career-best 67 tackles while helping the Eagles advance to the Super Bowl against the Kansas City Chiefs.
In his first foray into free agency that offseason, Gardner-Johnson signed a one-year deal with the Lions in March of '23. He appeared in just three games for the Lions, as he suffered a torn pectoral muscle in Week 2 and missed a large chunk of the regular season.
Upon returning in January, Gardner-Johnson, a starter for two games earlier that season, was miffed at the Lions' plan to place him in a rotation with fellow safeties Brian Branch, Kerby Joseph and Ifeatu Melifonwu.
A free agent again after the 2023 season, Gardner-Johnson signed with Philadelphia on a three-year deal and again thrived with the Eagles, this time under defensive coordinator Vic Fangio.
Despite the seemingly hard feelings, Gardner-Johnson did call his lone season in Detroit "successful."
But, judging by his words, it certainly didn't seem enjoyable.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Eagles' C.J. Gardner-Johnson Rips Lions, Claims They 'Lied' About Desire to Keep Him.
