No matter what you want to call him, C.J. Gardner-Johnson can also be called an ex-Lion. The defensive back has left Detroit after one season in a Lions uniform.
Gardner-Johnson is heading back to the team he played on before jumping to Detroit in 2023, the Philadelphia Eagles. Per Tom Pelissero, it’s a three-year deal worth up to $33 million for Gardner-Johnson to return to Philadelphia, where he played in 2022 and led the NFL in interceptions.
Unfortunately, his year in Detroit will be remembered for Gardner-Johnson’s missing nearly all of the regular season with a torn pec injury. His intense personality–he proudly captured the NFL’s best trash-talker honor–didn’t play so well with the Lions when he couldn’t back it up on the field. His return to Detroit was not expected.