A star on the Super Bowl LIX-winning Philadelphia Eagles team is still reeling after a shocking trade moved him off of the team.
Back on Tuesday, the Eagles decided to move defensive back CJ Gardner-Johnson along with a 2026 sixth-round pick to the Houston Texans in exchange for guard Kenyon Green and a 2026 fifth-round pick.
The news came after Gardner-Johnson openly declared that he should be considered a leader within the defensive secondary just days earlier on social media.
The 27-year-old safety went on a livestream that was re-uploaded to X, formerly Twitter, and revealed his shock at the move.
‘I ain’t gonna lie, I thought it was April Fool’s,’ he said while adding he thought ‘they got me’ as a prank.
However, once the reality of the move set in, Gardner-Johnson was adamant that there was ‘no bad blood’ with the organization.
Former Eagles defensive star CJ Gardner-Johnson thought the news of his trade was a prank
Gardner-Johnson was moved to the Houston Texans in exchange for a lineman and a pick
‘It wasn’t no love lost, it wasn’t no bad blood… Them young guys just gotta get paid down there,’ he said.
It appeared that the former Eagle – who also played on the New Orleans Saints and Detroit Lions – may have been aware that the organization could move him.
He said that he asked the Eagles to trade him somewhere he ‘can go play winning football’ and didn’t specify any destination.
‘I didn’t ask for a specific place,’ he said while adding, ‘I want to play winning football. I woke up the next day and boom there it is, we in Houston.’
Gardner-Johnson said that when the team revealed his intentions to move him, the phone call informing him ‘was amazing’ and that the younger players on the team need to get better contracts. ‘Me getting older, I understand. There was no bad blood,’ he added.
When the news of the trade broke, Swifties claimed the move as a victory after Gardner-Johnson was seen wearing a sweatshirt at the Philadelphia Super Bowl parade that said ‘Swifties can LIX by balls.’
‘The Eagles probably traded CJ Gardner-Johnson partly because of the Taylor Swift thing. Let’s not lie here,’ one Swiftie claimed.
Another posted, ‘Taylor Swift somehow worked her magic to get CJ Gardner-Johnson traded out of Philly after that parade shirt.’
Gardner-Johnson (L) was a key contributor in Philadelphia’s Super Bowl winning season
In reality, it’s likely the Eagles needed to move on from Gardner-Johnson’s $3.7million cap hit off the roster in order to re-sign some players and reward others for top-notch Super Bowl performances.
But the timing is a bit odd, considering the recent rant that Gardner-Johnson went on social media following a perceived slight by a former teammate.
In a recent podcast episode, former Eagles safety Darius Slay was asked about who could take over as a leader within the defensive secondary.
Slay pointed to Reed Blankenship as a natural successor in the world of pass defense, saying, ‘Reed being around me and a lot of veterans before, I’m sure he could lead that group the right way. That’s who I feel would be leading the group if I ain’t in the building… He’s a great damn leader.’
That rubbed Gardner-Johnson the wrong way – especially considering he’s been in the league longer than Blankenship has.
A ticked-off Gardner-Johnson let his feelings be known in a series of tweets: ‘You would think feelings would be mutual after a great season but …… aye twin keep that s*** solid,’ he posted alongside a GIF of rapper Kodak Black.
He followed that tweet up with a post saying, ‘This is nothing about our team … TRUST!! We good.’
The next morning, he tweeted once again, saying, ‘Not a crash out just keeping it real.’
Interestingly, the trade came after former Eagles star Darius Slay suggested that a different member of the Philadelphia secondary could step up and become a leader in that unit
Those words rubbed Gardner-Johnson the wrong way, with the star clapping back on Twitter
Gardner-Johnson also posted some thoughts that were then deleted off his Twitter account.
‘Last Vet that replaced me helped yall get to the door in the wildcard round, REMEMBER THAT!!,’ he posted on Thursday.
He also posted, ‘Vet presence is always needed don’t get me wrong! But bro what “Vet” is needed when young guys can hold their own (Q& Coop) [Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean] and you got a crazy duo with Reed and Me?! And the supporting cast ([Kelee] Ringo, Zay [Isaiah Rodgers], Andre Sam, Eli [Ricks], Sydney [Brown], Tristin [McCollum]) stay with the youth u ask me!!’
Slay made a response of his own: ‘We just won a Super Bowl together. I do not have no problem or hate towards bra.
‘Reed is in our leadership council which is [why] I said what I said. I would expect him to be the next guy up. It’s nothing but love on my end if u really kno me.. Yall have a blessed day #WorldChamps.’
The Eagles have recently moved on from a number of pieces from their Super Bowl-winning team.
In addition to the trade of Gardner-Johnson and the cutting of Slay, the Eagles lost Isaiah Rodgers, Josh Sweat, Milton Williams, and Oren Burks in free agency.
