The regular season C.J. Gardner-Johnson just wrapped up with his new Philadelphia Eagles squad speaks for itself, but that doesn't mean he's done talking.
The safety returned from injured reserve in Week 18 and helped his team clinch the NFC East and top seed in the conference with a 22-16 win over the Giants. He also led the league in interceptions with 6 despite missing the entire month of December. Nothing short of impressive, considering the Saints only logged 7 interceptions total as a team.
CJ finished the year with an impressive all-around line of 67 tackles, 6 INTs, 8 passes defensed and a sack in 12 games, though he logged a 65.2 overall grade from Pro Football Focus that ranked him No. 78 at his position.
But it was his explanation in the locker room after the game that might raise some eyebrows.
“It’s been better than expected," Gardner-Johnson said. "I get treated very, very, very, very, very like — better than I was in New Orleans. And I ain’t saying nothing bad. I’m just, you play better ball when you’re around better guys and you’re around better athletes. This is the result of it."
The Saints lost 10-7 to the Panthers in Week 18 for a 7-9 finish to the 2022 season. But it's still a comment that makes you say ... uh, OK.
A fan-favorite, CJGJ's departure late in training camp made waves. He wanted a new deal and it didn't appear the team was willing to make that happen. He withheld activity at points during camp, and the team was ultimately forced to send him to the rich-get-richer Eagles for a pittance. The Saints returned just a 2023 5th rounder and 2024 6th rounder, not even the original 4th round draft value that CJ had far outplayed throughout his career, where he was primarily used as a slot corner.
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The Saints defense got off to a slow start, but ultimately performed well with the four-man rotation of Marshon Lattimore, Paulson Adebo, Alontae Taylor and Bradley Roby. Veteran Chris Harris Jr. was also signed and played significant snaps in the slot with both Lattimore and Roby missing multiple weeks due to injuries.
But are they "lockdown" guys? Not if you ask C.J., a statement that feels a bit offbase when you consider Lattimore's status among the league's top DBs.
“I mean, I ain’t even gonna cap with you, you got two other corners [on the Eagles] that can cover better than me," Gardner-Johnson said. "I think I was covering all down in New Orleans, but when I got a chance to play with some lockdown corners, I just figured I’d play my role.”
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And the key to CJ's success in Philly, according to CJ? That'd be "humbling himself." While that statement might not necessarily match up with the words, there's no question that his new team, even with a late-season skid that included a 20-10 loss to the Saints, is among the favorites to win the Super Bowl after a 14-3 regular season. They'll now get a week off before a matchup with the lowest seeded wild card round winner.
Still, the big-money contract that CJ was seeking has not been given, as he's set to enter the free agent market at the end of the year, whenever that actually is for he and his team.