Bills release veteran player right after serving suspension

CJ Gardner-Johnson is no longer a member of the Buffalo Bills.

The team announced on Tuesday that Gardner-Johnson was being released, right after he served a one-game suspension for spitting on an opponent.

According to NFL Network’s Cameron Wolfe, the suspension was due to the veteran’s inconsistent play.

Gardner-Johnson was seen trying to spit on Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers on Oct. 18, and he was then suspended by the league.

Gardner-Johnson was selected by the New Orleans Saints in the fourth round of the 2019 NFL Draft, and he has bounced around quite a bit since then.

He had two separate stints with the Philadelphia Eagles, with the Detroit Lions in between in 2023.

Gardner-Johnson won a Super Bowl with the Eagles during the 2024 season. He then began the 2025 season with the Houston Texans before being released and finishing the year with the Chicago Bears.

The Bills were hoping that Gardner-Johnson could bring a veteran presence to the defense. He did start six games this season, but he recorded just 17 tackles with 1 interception.

Buffalo moved to 6-1 with a win over the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, and Gardner-Johnson missed that game due to the suspension.

Now, the safeties on the roster in Buffalo are Damar Hamlin, Geno Stone and rookie Jalon Kilgore as Gardner-Johnson heads elsewhere.