C.J. Gardner Johnson did not make himself any long-term friends in Philadelphia after trashing the Eagles fanbase
C.J. Gardner Johnson has taken some lessons from the Eli Apple playbook. At least CJGJ has the play to back up his actions, though.
The aggressive defensive back who once aggravated then-teammate Michael Thomas so badly at practice (by calling him “slant boy”) that MT swung a punch on him was a driving force behind the Philadelphia Eagles’ trip to this year’s Super Bowl.
But after just one year in Philly, CJGJ is moving on, having signed a one-year deal with the Detroit Lions.
That’s two franchises he’s now struck out on a long-term deal with. He was traded by the Saints because the organization had friction discussing a deal with him, and leaves Philly for the same reason. He was reportedly too much of a locker room liability in New Orleans for them to even roster him in 2022, leading to his Eagles trade.
But he is not leaving Philly gracefully.
C.J. Gardner Johnson trashed Eagles fans in a Tweet and then deleted it
C.J. Gardner Johnson Tweeted this, then deleted it: “Philly fans call me overrated lol …… y’all was just my friend ???????????? switch ups”.
Gardner-Johnson definitely shouldn’t take Eagles fans turning on him personally. They’d do it to anyone, regardless of how good they are.
This comes a day after CJGJ took some direct shots at the talent Philly has compared to his new team, the Lions:
“To be honest with you, it’s a little better [than Philly], but that’s just on me,” Gardner-Johnson said. “Everybody can look from the outside looking in, but that’s just on me, from the outside looking in, but this team has talent. This team, we can win the division, possibly win the division. Everybody should feel that way, but when I look at a team coming from where I came from, and the teams I’ve played on that won multiple divisions, been to playoff games, and been to the Super Bowl, this team has what it takes to get there, win the division and get to the playoffs.”
CJGJ clearly has a goal to get back to the Super Bowl and thinks the Lions have what’s needed to make a postseason run.
Gardner-Johnson is always going to be feisty and cocky. That’s part of the allure of a player like him. Generally, he backs up his jawing. Let’s see if he and the Lions can do just that in 2023 after finishing the last 10 games in 2022 8-2.
Perhaps, another strong year can help him finally secure that long-term deal he’s been after.
