Saints shock trade shakes up defense
Chauncey Gardner-Johnson went into contract negotiations with the New Orleans Saints and in a surprising twist winds up dealt to the Philadelphia Eagles
One of the fiercest of the New Orleans Saints formidable defensive back squad has been CJ Gardner-Johnson. Frequently in the thick of the action, the nickel corner is a firm fan favorite, particularly for that in-your-face-attitude.
With the Saints being one of two teams to have a winning record over Tom Brady, as well as being the only team to serve him a shutout, Gardner-Johnson played a huge role in four consecutive regular season wins over Tampa Bay. He caught national attention last season when he stepped in front of Tom Brady and crossed his arms after the Bucs were stopped on a drive. His needling was amplified when Brady tried to force a pass in later in the game and CJ got the jump, hanging a back-breaking pick on the legendary quarterback.
With Tyrann Mathieu joining the Saints db’s, it appears that Dennis Allen simply didn’t believe that Gardner-Johnson was as valuable an asset as previously thought. The fact that the Saints let him go so quickly indicates that there was a gaping chasm between the two camps in contract negotiations.
The Saints sent CJ off to Philadelphia in exchange for a 2023 fifth-round pick, a 2024 sixth-round selection, and according to some reports a 2025 seventh-round pick.
After practice on Wednesday, head coach Dennis Allen told reporters, “We traded Chauncey Gardner-Johnson to the Eagles. I want to say this: That was not an easy decision. I love Chauncey. He’s been a big part of what we’ve been able to do here, specifically defensively.”
If anyone is questioning the thinking of the New Orleans defensive staff in this trade, coach Allen wanted to set the record straight. “We wouldn’t have done that if we didn’t feel extremely confident in the group we had.”
In a bizarre, but reportedly unrelated development, Tyrann Mathieu tweeted and then deleted “The only job where youth beats out experience without actually being better.” He followed it up with “HAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHHA.”
He then scrubbed his Twitter of any reference to the Saints, leading to wild speculation that he may not be happy in New Orleans or perhaps the trade of Gardner-Johnson. Mathieu later claimed that the deleted tweet was a reference to Tony Jefferson being released and “had nothing to do with me or the Saints.”
When questioned directly about the trade of CJ Gardner-Johnson, Tyrann added, “I think we have a good room. I think we have a deep room.”
Heavily favored to make the playoffs this season, the Saints are the most complete team in football. In the words of Bart Scott, “Write it down.” Without Gardner-Johnson, their complete package will have some question marks, but if coach Allen and Honey Badger are to be trusted, the Saints should still put up a stiff resistance to every team in the NFL.