Eagles Were Going To Cut Playmaking Star

Gardner-Johnson explained he was informed he was on his way out of Philadelphia, the night before the deal was agreed upon.

While trying to stream on Twitch, Gardner-Johnson got a phone call with a familiar “Hey buddy,” opening.

While Gardner-Johnson didn’t mention GM Howie Roseman by name, that’s generally how Roseman opens his phone calls.

The 27-year-old Gardner-Johnson went on to paraphrase what went on during the call with Roseman, explaining the Eagles needed some room to sign free agents and were going in a younger direction.

“So yeah, I’m gonna tell you in the morning we’re gonna send [trade] you or we’re gonna cut you,” is how Gardner-Johnson described the call going.

The hour-long interview also went into some depth on how Gardner-Johnson’s personality is often perceived. The veteran also admitted he wasn’t the most popular player in the locker room when he was originally acquired in a trade from New Orleans on Aug. 30, 2022, and essentially cut the line to become a starting safety after those in the room had competed all summer.

From a pure football standpoint, Gardner-Johnson’s unique career arc only highlighted his importance to the Eagles’ defense.

When he was in Philadelphia in 2022, he tied for the NFL lead in interceptions with six despite missing five games for the No. 2-ranked defense that was a scant 12 yards away from being No. 1 and reached Super Bowl LVII.

The 2023 season was spent in Detroit after acrimonious contract negotiations were derailed, forcing CJGJ to take a one-year, prove-it deal with the Lions. Nothing was proved due to injuries, and a reconciliation was in the air after the Eagles imploded on defense in 2023.

Gardner-Johnson was back in South Philadelphia last season, bringing the same energy, physicality, and playmaking skill as the first go-round with the Eagles.

The Philly defense rebounded to No. 1 under the watchful eye of Vic Fangio, capping things with an all-time dominating performance in Super Bowl LIX against Kansas City in a game where the mighty Chiefs didn’t even pass the 50-yard line during their first nine possessions. 

Yet, despite being under contract at a manageable cap number, Gardner-Johnson was out a month after the Super Bowl.

Looming contract extensions forced Roseman to identify his true foundational players, and Gardner-Johnson did not make the list. On the field came the freelancing, both from a playing perspective and an emotional one. 

Fangio’s defenses are known for their structure and communication, and according to a team source, Gardner-Johnson was the most likely member of the back end to go into business for himself in the eyes of Fangio. That frustration for the DC would occasionally bubble up with terse answers at press conferences.

When Gardner-Johnson was ejected for two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties against Washington, Fangio was predictably angry. 

The last part of the equation is the elephant in the room, Gardner-Johnson’s personality, which has kept a guy who makes more plays than most at his position on the move from New Orleans to Philly to Detroit back to the City of Brotherly Love and finally Houston, all over the span of four years.

In two separate one-season sample sizes that featured a combined 12 interceptions, two Super Bowl appearances, and a Lombardi Trophy, the Eagles ultimately decided they wanted out of the CJGJ business on two different occasions.