C.J. Gardner-Johnson trashes Eagles for trading him

C.J. Gardner-Johnson initially said there was “no bad blood” with the Eagles after Philadelphia traded the defensive back to the Texans in March.

However, it seems things have changed since then, as the safety clapped back at a comment Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio made Tuesday about the team’s decision to trade him to Houston.

“That was a salary cap type thing. … I was fine with it,” Fangio said when asked about the trade at Eagles OTAs.

Gardner-Johnson — who signed a three-year, $27 million deal with Philadelphia last March — re-shared a graphic of Fangio’s quote to his Instagram Story on Wednesday, and wrote, “Just don’t do them young guys like y’all did me.”

He also included a 100 emoji and a flexed bicep emoji.

“I was a test dummy for them,” Gardner-Johnson, 27, wrote in a since-expired Instagram Story. “So now they can be like my ‘scheme’ work, or did my skill set make it work.

“I had 0 issues. [People] had issues with me. So yeah let the salary cap be the ‘excuse.’”

Fangio added Tuesday that Eagles GM Howie Roseman made the decision to trade Gardner-Johnson, who won his first Super Bowl with Philadelphia in February when they routed the Chiefs, 40-22.

Gardner-Johnson had a strong campaign last season, tallying six interceptions with one returned for a touchdown, 12 pass breakups, one forced fumble and 59 tackles.

The Eagles traded him to the Texans for former first-round guard Kenyon Green and a 2026 fifth-round pick.

Houston netted Gardner-Johnson and a 2026 sixth-rounder.

At the time, Gardner-Johnson said he had an honest conversation with the Eagles on his way out, adding that he thought the trade was an April Fool’s joke.

“It was an amazing phone call to be all the way thorough,” Gardner-Johnson said in a livestream video. “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 and boom there it is, we in Houston.”

His departure came after a slew of offseason moves from the reigning Super Bowl champs.

In 2024, Gardner-Johnson was voted the most annoying player in The Athletic’s anonymous NFL player poll after he was crowned the “biggest trash talker” in their 2023 poll.

The Eagles and Texans do not meet in the regular season in 2025.