The C.J. Gardner-Johnson situation with the Eagles is growing increasingly confusing
Between the social media posts and the lack of offers, the Eagles and C.J. Gardner-Johnson sit at an awkward crossroads.
It was thought that C.J. Gardner-Johnson would have his pick of the litter when it came to free agency offers.
But that hasn't been the case of late. On Thursday, in a now-deleted tweet, Gardner-Johnson tweeted "the disrespect is real!" And as everything sits on Friday, the hybrid safety is yet to ink a deal with the Eagles or a new team.
It has been rumored that the Eagles and Gardner-Johnson are having out the particulars on a deal that could see him return as a preeminent member of the Eagles' secondary.
But nothing is official, yet.
Early on Philadelphia elected to not franchise tag Gardner-Johnson, allowing him to hit the open market and gauge his actual value.
It was initially believed that the safety could command a contract in the $14 million-a-year range. That clearly hasn't materialized.
However, recent reporting suggests that Gardner-Johnson's actual market value sits somewhere between $9 million and $11 million a year.
Geoff Mosher of Inside the Birds brought some perspective to the Eagles' situation during an interview with Crossing Broad. In the interview, Mosher revealed that the Eagles and Gardner-Johnson are indeed talking. Apparently, the front office does want him back.
The question is really how much the front office is willing to invest in his return. An additional team in the Gardner-Johnson bidding party is the Denver Broncos.
“I do know that the Broncos are in the mix so I’m sure that they’ve made a competitive offer — at least competitive as far as trying to get him,” Mosher said. “And I don’t know what the numbers are on either offer but I do know that the Eagles have been working and do want him back. If I’m C.J., I’m hoping that there are three or four teams instead of just one or two because obviously that helps the price tag but I don’t think he’s going to get $14 million a year.”
It is clear, however, that Gardner-Johnson didn't like the initial perceived value range of the offer. So, as things stand, the situation between the talented defensive back and the Eagles and the rest of the NFL is just as confusing as it was when all of the free agency business began on March 13.
