Eagles safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson is preparing to compete in Super Bowl 59 this Sunday. He came back to Philadelphia this season after a year in Detroit. A year he referred to as “hell,” as stated by the Detroit Free Press.
“It was brutal,” Gardner-Johnson said to Dave Birkett of the Press this week in New Orleans. “I was deceived, so it was, whatever.” I was informed, politely, that I would be brought back but was not brought back. The offseason became genuine for me as I re-signed here since I wasn’t overly concerned about it. “Everything turned out well.”
Gardner-Johnson believed he would remain in Detroit after agreeing to a one-year contract with the team last offseason, even though he missed a large part of the season due to a torn pectoral muscle. Instead, he returned his skills to south Philly and is now preparing to play in his second Super Bowl with the Eagles.
Gardner-Johnson remarked that “everyone” in the organization wanted him to return last season but later altered their opinions before the playoffs.
In the end, that particular season turned out to be a tumultuous one for Gardner-Johnson in Detroit, during which he participated in just three regular season games.
“Honestly, it was a nightmare, just like in Detroit,” Gardner-Johnson stated, through Birkett. “I went there simply to — Alright, when I got injured I thought, ‘(Expletive) it.’” Honestly. “That’s the reason I didn’t attend rehab there.” Gardner-Johnson is pointing out that he chose to undergo rehab in Florida rather than Detroit, as he believed he lacked a promising future with the Lions.
Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph were beginning to establish themselves, and Ifeatu Melifonwu had also made his way into the starting lineup, resulting in Gardner-Johnson being the odd one out.
“I had a one-year contract, so it felt pointless unless they genuinely wanted to re-sign me,” he explained to Birkett. “When midseason arrived and I was recovering, they weren’t looking to extend my contract, so I thought, ‘I’m fine with that.’”
In the end, both parties are content. The Lions boast their star pair in Branch and Joseph, while Gardner-Johnson has returned to Philadelphia and the Super Bowl.