Safety CJ Gardner-Johnson is set to join his fifth team in four seasons, signing with the Buffalo Bills in free agency.
“A chance to work with a good quarterback. Josh (Allen) is tremendous,” Gardner-Johnson said last week about why he chose Buffalo, via the team’s official website. “[Be] part of a team that has a chance to fight every Sunday and I just have to do it [rebuild] and [find] my identity again … get out [and] just be playing football with boys who [have] being played at a high level. Surround myself with superstars.”
CJGJ won the Super Bowl with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2024, but has not found a safe home. After three years with the New Orleans Saints, the former fourth-round pick was sent to Philly in 2022. He spent a year in Detroit before returning to the Eagles in 2024. Last season, he played three games for the Houston Texans before being released. He signed in Chicago, where he started seven games and had two stops for an opportunistic Bears defense.
Gardner-Johnson noted that new Bills coach Joe Brady getting wet under Sean Payton, who drafted safety in New Orleans, provides some familiarity to all parties.
“They know me, where Sean Payton when he picked me … (Brady) knew my face and my game, and he watched my tape,” Gardner-Johnson said when asked about his fit. “Going to Buffalo and having a formal meeting with everyone, getting to know each other face-to-face, was a big hit.”