CJ Gardner-Johnson Released by Texans

CJ Gardner-Johnson is currently looking for a new team.

On Tuesday, the Houston Texans announced his release after just three games. It’s somewhat surprising, considering he was acquired in a trade from the Eagles back in March.

During his brief time in Houston, Gardner-Johnson managed to record 15 tackles across three starts. But apparently, things weren’t going as smoothly as hoped.

As reported by Texans beat writer Aaron Wilson, there was some tension behind the scenes. Gardner-Johnson expressed dissatisfaction with his role, voicing a desire to blitz more often and even hinting at a trade request.

With Jimmie Ward returning from the Commissioner’s exemption list on Monday, the franchise didn’t see enough value in keeping Gardner-Johnson around.

Gardner-Johnson, who is 27, had a strong performance prior to this season, with six interceptions in a career-high 16 games for the Super Bowl Champion Eagles in 2024.

After signing a three-year, $27 million deal in March 2024 with Philadelphia, he had some critical things to say about the Eagles’ coaching staff. He took to Instagram to share that he felt he was “a test dummy” for them, implying that his skill set was used to develop younger players.

More recently, he had a bit of an exchange with Baker Mayfield following a comment the Buccaneers quarterback made to the media. In a playful yet pointed remark, he referred to Mayfield’s comment about not taking “any S-T.” Gardner-Johnson quipped back on social media, highlighting the interaction.

As the Texans sit at 0-3 to start the season, they are actively searching for solutions after previously making it to the postseason in the last two years.