Imagine you're a kid coming home from school, and your parents pull you aside and blindside you with news: The family is moving, pack your things.
A lot of emotions will hit hard in that moment, and they'll be similar to what many members of the Saints felt Tuesday morning with the news that CJ Gardner-Johnson was headed out of town in a trade to the Philadelphia Eagles. That's how Saints linebacker and team leader Demario Davis described it when asked Tuesday afternoon.
"Everybody sees the game, but they don’t see what’s going on at life behind that," Davis said. "You’ve got to sell your house. You have to move your stuff. You have to find new schools for your kids. You have to build new relationships. And so everything, every dynamic that someone else has going on in life, that’s what we have going on."
In the end, the Saints will find a way to replace Gardner-Johnson’s voice in the locker room and on the field. Players will step up and fill the void left at slot corner, a position held down by CJ for the better part of the last three seasons. This is a team that's found a way to move on from a Hall of Fame quarterback in Drew Brees. This year they're moving on from a Hall of Fame coach in Sean Payton. But it's bigger than that, because there are people involved.
"The game is easy," Davis said. "It’s the life part that’s challenging.”
The trade itself was no less dramatic, spurred by an impasse when it came to a new deal for the 24-year old selected in the 4th round of the 2019 draft. Gardner-Johnson was seeking a new deal, the team wasn't budging. He went so far as to limit his activity in camp practices, but talks broke down and the team opted to trade its firebrand slot corner for a meager return in a 2023 5th rounder and 2024 6th rounder.
There's no argument to be made the team got better with the move, but depth at defensive back was a big element in the decision. Saints head coach Dennis Allen spoke highly of his former player, whom he'd worked closely with as the defensive coordinator in each of Gardner-Johnson's three NFL seasons. The depth at defensive back this season has been discussed at length, and it was a big factor in DA described as a difficult decision.
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"We wouldn’t have done that if we didn’t feel extremely confident in the group that we have," Allen said. "We feel like the defensive backfield is one of the deeper positions that we had, and we had a chance to acquire some more assets, and so that’s the decision that we made."
Where the Saints turn at slot corner remains to be seen. Safety Tyrann Mathieu has manned the position at points in his career and said he'd be willing again if needed. But the responsibility more likely falls to someone like Bradley Roby, PJ Williams and possibly rookie Alontae Taylor down the road. Safety Justin Evans is another possible option, a player who was potentially on the cut line as the team trimmed down to 53, but possibly had his job solidified by the move. The team also kept veteran Daniel Sorenson as a depth safety.
Whomever lands in that role, it'll be a point of discussion all year, particularly if there's a dropoff from Gardner-Johnson like there appeared to be in 2021. In the games Gardner-Johnson played, the Saints allowed an average of 15.6 points per game and went 9-3. In the five games he missed, the team allowed an average of 29.4 points per game and lost all five times.
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And as the season heads to its end, Gardner-Johnson will get a first-hand look at his replacement when the Saints head to Philadelphia in Week 17.
“He’s a phenomenal player," Davis said. "He’s been a phenomenal part of what we’ve done, and good players in this league are hard to come by, but it’s a next-man up deal. It’s just part of the game.”