Gardner-Johnson says 'no bad blood' after leaving Eagles in free agency originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
The day after he agreed to contract terms with the Lions, C.J. Gardner-Johnson was introduced in Detroit on Monday and said there’s “no bad blood” with the Eagles after he left in free agency.
Gardner-Johnson, 25, didn’t want to talk too much about the Eagles on Monday but did answer a few questions about what went down.
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Was he disappointed things didn’t work out with the Eagles?
“I’m not disappointed,” Gardner-Johnson said. “I mean, we went to the Super Bowl. Obviously, we didn’t win it. But the experience, I had, I don’t have no bad blood. I mean, people overreacted with a tweet in free agency but it was never disrespectful towards the organization. They treated me like family. It’s just you gotta do what’s best for your family. That’s all it is.”
The Eagles offered Gardner-Johnson a multi-year deal early in free agency and he turned it down. After that, the Eagles turned their attention to other players, re-signing James Bradberry and extending Darius Slay.
Gardner-Johnson’s agency tweeted out about the difference between the deal the Eagles offered and the one-year contract Gardner-Johnson ended up signing with the Lions.
It was very clear, though, that the market did not develop for the 25-year-old safety the way he or his agent hoped. That’s pretty much been the case for most defensive backs this offseason.
But Gardner-Johnson said that won’t fuel him.
“Nah. It’s whatever. It’s a business, man,” he said. “Just keep it pushing. Just keep playing football, keep your head down and God will bless you eventually. That’s how I take it. I don’t trip about it. Take it day by day. Felt like the draft day all over again, truthfully.”
An interesting report on Monday surfaced that the Eagles were given a chance to match the one-year deal from the Lions and did not. Perhaps once Gardner-Johnson turned down the multi-year offer, the Eagles really just moved on.
As of Monday, Gardner-Johnson had moved on too.
“The past is the past. I’m here now,” he said. “I’m with a brand new team, new city, ready to win some games.”
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