Eagles
NFL Free Agency: CJ Gardner-Johnson Heading Back To Eagles
Penn State Great Valley MBA, Penn State Berks Undergrad, Eagle Scout and Vigil Honor, IT Service Manager. I joined Sports Talk Philly in 2017 and root for all the Philly teams (as well as their minor league counter parts).
All posts by Paul BowmanPublished12 Mar 2024
The Eagles did some quick work and signed top free agents in edge rusher Bryce Huff and running back Saquon Barkley mere hours after extending Landon Dickerson.
Well, they aren’t stopping there. By Tuesday night, the Eagles had also agreed to terms to bring back Chauncey Gardner-Johnson according to Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network.
Veteran DB Chauncey Gardner-Johnson is returning to the #Eagles on a three-year deal worth up to $33 million, per his agents Kevin Conner and Robert Brown at @UniSportsMgmt.
Gardner-Johnson just turned 26. Now back with the team he helped reach a Super Bowl. pic.twitter.com/1o0Y5t8HZC
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) March 12, 2024
The deal, worth $33 million over three years, is a surprising one to say the least, considering CJ spent the entirety of last offseason posting about how he really hated Philadelphia and it’s fans after declining an offer to stay.
None of that really impacts his play, however.
One would figure that Gardner-Johnson is most likely slated to be a safety for the Eagles, who lack anyone beside Reed Blankenship and the injured Sydney Brown.
CJGJ did come back as the nickel option at the end of the 2022 season, however, in order to get the Eagles their best five defensive backs on the field at the same time. With that, the Eagles could potentially still look to add a safety and utilize his versatility on the back end.
With 67 tackles, a sack and a team leading six interceptions in 2023, CJGJ was a critical part of the team. He was barely even a part of the team for the Lions last year as he was injured and managed to appear in just three games during the 2023 season before coming off the bench in the Lions three playoff games.
Update: The deal is incentive laden and is officially a $27 million deal with just $10 million guaranteed, so it likely has an out after two years.
Chauncey Gardner Johnson's deal with the #Eagles: 3-years, $27M with $10M in guarantees. He could earn more via incentives. pic.twitter.com/lJ71NKziWH
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) March 13, 2024
