Well that’s a little unexpected, but it does make a certain kind of sense. The Detroit Lions will sign former New Orleans Saints and Philadelphia Eagles safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson to a one-year deal valued at up to $8 million, and carrying just $6.5 million in guarantees. It’s hardly the windfall Gardner-Johnson was angling for during last summer’s contract dispute which led to his surprise exit in training camp.
The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jeff McLane reports that the Eagles made a long-term contract offer to Gardner-Johnson early in the free agency signing period, but he and his agent expected better offers on the open market and passed on it. The Eagles moved on by investing in cornerbacks James Bradberry and Darius Slay, and other teams weren’t ready to pay top dollar, so Gardner-Johnson settled for a one-year prove-it deal.
He’s got a good shot at reasserting himself in Detroit. Gardner-Johnson is reunited with former teammates like Alex Anzalone and coaches who know him well in Aaron Glenn and Dan Campbell. The Lions should give him an opportunity to help lead another defense to the postseason, and maybe that’s what it will take to get the big contract he covets. Good luck to him. This season’s game with the Lions in the Caesars Superdome just got even more interesting.
As for the Eagles: they got a year of Gardner-Johnson on a low-cost contract, and his playmaking ability helped them reach Super Bowl LVII, even if they couldn’t seal the deal. But they’re projected to get back less than they gave to trade for him — the way things stand now, Philadelphia is expected to receive a compensatory sixth-round pick in the 2024 NFL draft. They traded a 2023 fifth-round pick and 2024 sixth rounder to the Saints to get him in the first place. There are probably some people in New Orleans’ front office feeling vindicated right now.
