Eagles Trade Controversial $27 Million Safety to AFC South

The Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles just made their secondary a much quieter place to be in 2025 — although that might not be the best thing for the on-field product.

The Eagles sent controversial safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson to the Houston Texans via a trade on March 11, along with a sixth round pick in the 2026 NFL draft in exchange for former first round pick and offensive guard Kenyon Green and a 2025 fifth round pick.

“According to multiple reports, the Eagles have agreed to trade Gardner-Johnson to the Texans,” Pro Football Talk’s Josh Alper wrote on March 11. “They’ll also send a 2026 sixth-round pick to Houston in exchange for guard Kenyon Green and a 2026 fifth-round selection. Gardner-Johnson spent the 2023 season in Philly and then returned to sign a three-year contract after a year in Detroit. He had 59 tackles, six interceptions and a forced fumble in the regular season and then posted 14 tackles en route to a Super Bowl win.”

Gardner-Johnson still has 2 seasons remaining on the 3-year, $27 million contract he signed with the Eagles in March 2024.

Gardner-Johnson Voted NFL’s Elite Trash Talker

In an anonymous poll of 110 NFL players by The Athletic released on November 27, Gardner-Johnson was the runaway winner in response to a question:  “Most annoying player in the NFL?”

Gardner-Johnson wound up with 20.9 percent of the vote, far outdistancing Las Vegas Raiders defensive tackle Christian Wilkins in second place with 11.9 percent.

It was the second year in a row Gardner-Johnson topped a specific category in The Athletic’s anonymous poll, with the “Most Annoying” category changed from when he topped the list for “Biggest Trash Talker” in 2023.

From The Athletic: “Last season we asked players to name the biggest trash-talker. This year, we broadened the question to most annoying, leaving it to the players’ discretion to decide what qualified as annoying. Well, last year’s biggest trash-talker, Philadelphia Eagles defensive back C.J. Gardner-Johnson, took the crown again.”

The New Orleans Saints drafted Gardner-Johnson in the fourth round (No. 105 overall) in the 2019 NFL draft. He became a part-time starter as a rookie before becoming a full-time starter in his second season.

One thing Gardner-Johnson did from the moment his NFL career began was start to rack up fines from the NFL. Since 2019, Gardner-Johnson has been fined 13 times for “agitator” type incidents, including twice for fighting and once for unsportsmanlike conduct. In 2024 alone, Gardner-Johnson had 5 fines for taunting and one fine for a late hit.

What’s interesting about Gardner-Johnson is that in 2022, he had a career high 67 tackles and led the NFL with 6 interceptions in just 12 games and helped lead Philadelphia to the Super Bowl.

Eagles Have Big Shoes to Fill in Secondary

The Eagles must have a plan in place to replace Gardner-Johnson although it’s hard to see how anyone could come in and match his production.

As of right now, third-year strong safety Tristin McCollum, an undrafted free agent, would take Gardner-Johnson’s spot at starting strong safety in the lineup. What’s more likely is that the Eagles might find another safety in the NFL draft or sign a moderately-priced free agent to take Gardner-Johnson’s place.