Ex-Eagle C.J. Gardner-Johnson on trade to Texans: ‘It wasn’t about the money’
The safety did not hold back when discussing his theory on why the Eagles traded him after winning a Super Bowl title.
Former Eagles safety C.J. Garnder-Johnson still harbors some resentment about how his time with the team came to an end.
In a wide-ranging interview with KPRC 2 in Houston, the now Texans safety did not hold back when discussing his reputation throughout the NFL and more.
“I feel highly disrespected, but it’s a business,” Gardner-Johnson said about how he’s viewed around the league. “Never was an All-Pro or Pro Bowl! Never! Led the league in interceptions. What more do you want?”
“People say, ‘He’s a hazard, he’s this, he’s that.’ I never been no hazard, bro,” he continued. “They got real issues on me. That black ball ain’t going to work on me because I got me a ring. I got me one. I got three more championships in me. I’m probably going to win the next three. I’m going to get me another Super Bowl this year. Just watch.”
According to Gardner-Johnson, the reason for release was not salary cap-related, as Eagles general manager Howie Roseman said during the NFL scouting combine.
“It wasn’t about the money,” Gardner-Johnson explained. “If it was about money, everybody would have been gone. How can I say this in the most respectful way? Saquon [Barkley] deserved it. Zack [Baun] deserved it, but the reasons behind it, the fans don’t deserve that reason.
It’s deeper than that. The fans don’t deserve, ‘It’s about the money,’ because if that was the case, my contract was safe.”
» READ MORE: Ball hawk C.J. Gardner-Johnson gave up too many TDs and tackled poorly, so Howie Roseman traded him
Gardner-Johnson also got the chance to clear up a few things during the interview, including that there is no tension between himself and former Eagles cornerback Darius Slay after the two got into a social media spat after the Super Bowl.
“Let’s clear this Slay [stuff] up now,” Gardner-Johnson said. “I got no problem with him. He’s a respectable vet. I ain’t never going to hate on someone like that. When that real Florida [personality] walk in that building, they know.”