Eagles safety CJ Gardner-Johnson fires off cryptic message on X
Safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson is back with the Philadelphia Eagles and doesn't care if you like it or not. Gardner-Johnson took to X/Twitter to fire off a cryptic message that could be meant for both Eagles fans and his teammates. "I ain’t come back to be liked, I came back to set the tone and win […]
Safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson is back with the Philadelphia Eagles and doesn't care if you like it or not.
Gardner-Johnson took to X/Twitter to fire off a cryptic message that could be meant for both Eagles fans and his teammates.
"I ain’t come back to be liked, I came back to set the tone and win !!," Gardner-Johnson wrote.
The message was written following the second day of mandatory minicamp where Gardner-Johnson was reportedly giving advice to the rookies.
It also comes a few days after Gardner-Johnson and Darius Slay shared an interesting exchange on X/Twitter.
Slay originally tweeted: "I'm guessing the DB’s still the only group that don’t want to have a retreat! lol I see the DL linking up!"
Gardner-Johnson replied: "I respect the idea but the respect level for DBs isn’t there amongst each other."
"True!" Slay wrote back.
Who knows what all of this means, but reading between the lines, it sounds like there's some salt in the wound somewhere.
It also doesn't help that competition is extra hot and heavy for the Eagles' secondary this offseason with 14 cornerbacks competing for a spot, which probably makes it harder to cozy up to one another.
Regardless, it's not a good look if there's already turmoil in the locker room this early in the offseason, especially amongst a position group that needs to get it right after a disastrous 2023 season.
Gardner-Johnson Channeling Inner Mamba Mentality in 2024
The last time Gardner-Johnson was in Philly, he rocked No. 23 during the 2022 NFL season.
But on his new journey with the Eagles, he plans to channel his inner "Mamba Mentality" and is wearing the No. 8 in honor of the late NBA legend Kobe Bryant
"My favorite player is from here," Gardner-Johnson told reporters after officially signing his new deal. I think (I'm) tapping into a different mentality. It's like… It's something that will be great to see this year. I'm on my Kobe (Bryant) mode, so I'm coming out with The Mamba. I'm coming out with the eight."
According to Kobe, Mamba Mentality is about constantly trying to be the "best version of yourself" or better than you were yesterday.
That's what Gardner-Johnson plans to do.
“Mamba mentality. I’m here to win," Gardner-Johnson said. "I’m not here to lose. I'm not here to be mediocre. I demand excellence. The thing about Kobe that makes him so great is, he didn’t settle. … He had the mentality to go out there and win and kill … in a good way”.
Hopefully, he can convince the rest of his teammates to buy into the Mamba Mentality with him.
