C.J. Gardner-Johnson Didn’t Believe the Eagles When They Said He Was Getting Traded for This Reason

Mar. 15, 2025

C.J. Gardner-Johnson #23 of the Philadelphia Eagles looks on prior to the game on Sept 19, 2022.Photo: Mitchell Leff/Getty

C.J. Gardner-Johnsonalmost didn’t believe it when he found out the Philadelphia Eagles traded him to the Houston Texans.

AfterNFL Network’s Ian Rapoportreported that the Eagles hadsent the 27-year-old Super Bowl winnerto Texas on Tuesday, March 11, Gardner-Johnson took to social media to address his new chapter.

In alivestream re-uploaded to X, Gardner-Johnson admitted, “I ain’t gonna lie, I thought it was April Fool’s,” and said he thought “they got me,” as a prank.

“It wasn’t no love lost, it wasn’t no bad blood.. Them young guys just gotta get paid down there," Gardner-Johnson explained during the livestream.

C.J. Gardner-Johnson #23 of the Philadelphia Eagles looks on prior to the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Lincoln Financial Field on October 2, 2022 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.Mitchell Leff/Getty

Gardner-Johnson said all he asked of the Eagles was that they trade him somewhere he “can go play winning football” and he didn’t ask for a “specific” team. “I didn’t ask for a specific place… I want to play winning football. I woke up the next day and and boom there it is, we in Houston.”

In fact, Gardner-Johnson said the phone call “was amazing” and that he understands the team had to trade him. “The situation is, them young guys just gotta get paid in Philly,” he continued, naming several former teammates who are still with the Eagles.

“Me getting older, I understand. There was no bad blood,” he said.

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After Gardner-Johnson’s trade was announced, fans of Swift reacted on social media. “The Eagles probably traded CJ Gardner-Johnson partly because of the Taylor Swift thing. Let’s not lie here,” one userwroteafter the trade was announced.

C.J. Gardner-Johnson (L); Taylor Swift.Getty (2)

Getty (2)

Anothersaid, “Taylor Swift somehow worked her magic to get CJ Gardner-Johnson traded out of Philly after that parade shirt.”

Gardner-Johnson — who once played alongsideJason Kelceon the Eagles — caused controversy at the team’sSuper Bowl paradeon Friday, Feb. 14 when he wore asweatshirtthat read: “Swifties can LIX my balls.”

That came just a few days after Gardner-Johnson posted a photo of himself matching up against Kelce, 35, on the field to his Instagram Stories on Feb. 10, one day after the Eaglesdefeated the Kansas City Chiefsin theSuper Bowl.

Gardner-Johnson mocked Kelce in the post, insinuating he if he had stayed with his ex-girlfriend Kayla Nicole instead of dating Swift, he and the Chiefs would have won the game.

source: people.com