C.J. Gardner-Johnson gets very honest about Eagles trade to Houston: 'I thought it was April Fool's'
On Tuesday, the Philadelphia Eagles traded safety C.J. Gardern-Johnson to the Houston Texans for guard Kenyon Green. The Eagles also swapped draft picks; Philly received a 2026 fifth-round pick, while Houston received a 2026 sixth-rounder. Considering the Eagles are thin at the safety position, it was a trade that shocked many, including Gardner-Johnson himself. “I […]
On Tuesday, the Philadelphia Eagles traded safety C.J. Gardern-Johnson to the Houston Texans for guard Kenyon Green. The Eagles also swapped draft picks; Philly received a 2026 fifth-round pick, while Houston received a 2026 sixth-rounder.
Considering the Eagles are thin at the safety position, it was a trade that shocked many, including Gardner-Johnson himself.
“I ain’t gonna lie, I thought it was April Fool’s,” Gardner-Johnson said in a video on TikTok. "…. I was like they damn sure got me they playing crazy with me right now. But naw, it wasn’t no love lost. It wasn’t no bad blood."
Gardner-Johnson, who signed a three-year, $27 million deal last March, explained and understood that it was strictly a business decision for Philly to keep the up-and-coming young guys on the roster happy in the long run.
"It was an amazing phone call to be all the way thorough," he said. "The situation is, them young guys just gotta get paid in Philly, [defensive tackle] Jalen Carter, [safety] Reed [Blankenship] and [linebacker] Zack [Baun]… Me getting older, I understand. There was no bad blood. All I asked them was like, between me and y’all, I told them, I just want to go somewhere where I can go play winning football. I didn’t ask for a specific place… I want to play winning football. I woke up the next day and boom there it is, we in Houston.”
The Texans were not Super Bowl champs, but they did finish first in the AFC South (10-7) last year.
Gardner-Johnson, 27, will enter his seventh NFL season this fall and is far from washed up after leading the Eagles' defense with six interceptions in 2024. Over six years so far, CJGJ has racked up a total of 18 career interceptions, 51 pass breakups, and 304 tackles.
