Tag: c.j. gardner-johnson

C.J. Gardner-Johnson lost half his Saints game check in fines to the NFL

C.J. Gardner-Johnson lost half of his game check from Week 3’s win over the Saints in fines to the NFL. That’s some expensive trash talk:

You don’t see this very often. Philadelphia Eagles safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson was fined three times by the NFL for his actions in Week 3’s win over the New Orleans Saints, losing half his game check for an illegal hit and two taunting infractions. He was a little too eager to get after his old team for his own good.

It had previously been reported that Gardner-Johnson was being fined for unnecessary roughness; he made a late hit on Saints running back Alvin Kamara after the play went out of bounds, and that came up to $11,255. But a league review found two instances of Gardner-Johnson crossing the line in taunting his opponents, which cost him two charges of $16,883 each.

Add that up and it’s $45,021 coming out of Gardner-Johnson’s paycheck. He has a base salary of $1,375,000 this year, per Over The Cap, which comes up to 17 weekly game checks of about $80,882 each (before taxes). So Gardner-Johnson really lost a little more than half of his game check because he was too hot under the collar. That’s some expensive trash talk. For his sake, it’s a good thing the late touchdown he gave up to Chris Olave didn’t cost Philly the game on top of it.

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C.J. Gardner-Johnson fined for late hit out of bounds on Alvin Kamara

C.J. Gardner-Johnson blasted the Saints for playing dirty. Well, he was the recipient of a fine from the NFL for a late hit on Alvin Kamara:

Philadelphia Eagles safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson had a lot to say about the New Orleans Saints after the Week 3 game. This was to be expected. The Saints drafted Gardner-Johnson in 2019, and fans became accustomed to his propensity to talk trash.

After their victory, Gardner-Johnson called the Saints pretenders, but the biggest thing he did was criticize Khristian Boyd’s hit on DeVonta Smith, for which the rookie defensive tackle was fined. He called the play and the Saints, as a whole, dirty.

Dennis Allen denied that earlier this week. Funny enough, Gardner-Johnson had his own play that was late. He slung Alvin Kamara to the ground early in the game while both players were out of bounds.

Just like Boyd’s play, there was no penalty in the game. Just like Boyd’s play, there was a fine after the game, per NBC Sports’ Mike Florio.

Gardner-Johnson’s hit wasn’t as vicious but it was clearly late. It’s pretty ironic that he had so much to say only to be fined playing beyond the whistle.

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Dennis Allen responds to C.J. Gardner-Johnson’s claim the Saints are a dirty team

C.J. Gardner Johnson called out the Saints for having a culture of cheap hits and playing dirty. Dennis Allen denied that notion:

Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith took a hit from Khristian Boyd that led to him suffering the concussion. In that play, Smith was being pushed back by New Orleans Saints defenders before the hit. There didn’t seem to be ill intent involved.

After the game, Smith’s teammates C.J. Gardner-Johnson and Jordan Mailata called the play dirty. Mailata kept it at that, but Gardner-Johnson went further and connected the play to the culture of the team.

Dennis Allen responded to a question about the play, but his answer leans towards a response to Gardner-Johnson’s culture point. Allen was straightforward on Monday, saying, “I don’t think we play dirty. I don’t think we ever have played dirty. It’s not the way we coach it, not the way we teach it.”

Allen instead said his team plays hard, and honestly, that’s what the play looked like. Boyd appeared to just be playing through the whistle. You wish he would have let up in hindsight, but this doesn’t look dirty.

Allen made sure to dispel the notion that the Saints are a dirty team by reiterating “dirty” is an inaccurate description of how they play or coach.

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C.J. Gardner Johnson calls out Saints for taking a ‘cheap shot’ on DeVonta Smith

C.J. Gardner Johnson called the play that injured DeVonta Smith the “dirtiest (expletive) I ever saw in football,” but his teammates took a more measured stance:

Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith left Sunday’s game early with a concussion after a hit from New Orleans Saints defensive tackle Khristian Boyd. Former Saints standout C.J. Gardner-Johnson, since traded to Philly, didn’t hold back after the game.

Gardner-Johnson called that play the “the dirtiest (expletive) I ever saw in football, bro. Y’all obviously saw forward progression was stopped. For them to take a cheap shot on one of our key players, it goes to show what type of team that is.”

Gardner-Johnson has his own history with the New Orleans Saints that likely plays a part into at least his assessment of the team as a whole.

Eagles left tackle Jordan Mailata was more measured in his response, though like his teammate he called it a dirty play. Mailata was admittedly conflicted on whether Boyd was setting out to deliver a cheap shot: “Did I think it was dirty? Yeah. Did I think it was intentional? No — ah, I don’t (expletive) know. I’ve got to watch it.” Boyd, of course, maintained he was just playing football and not looking to injure Smith. Mailata acknowledged that the defensive tackle was trying to make a play.

The truth of it all is the play could have been avoided, but it was a bang-bang play. Boyd shouldn’t be considered dirty for this play. It looked like he was genuinely trying to deliver a big hit to close out the play. It wasn’t necessary, but it didn’t appear to be malicious either. You obviously wish Boyd would have pulled up, because it would have kept Smith from suffering this injury.

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C.J. Gardner-Johnson on beating Saints: ‘No contenders, they’re pretenders’

C.J. Gardner-Johnson relished beating his old Saints team. He was heard in the postgame locker room shouting, ‘They ain’t no contenders, they’re pretenders’

The New Orleans Saints’ loss to the Philadelphia Eagles was a tough one to swallow, and even more so after the late-game extracurriculars occurring between the teams after Derek Carr threw an interception in the final minute. That gave C.J. Gardner-Johnson cause for celebration after he gave up a lead-changing touchdown minutes earlier.

To rub more salt in the wound, NFL Network reporter Bridget Condon tweeted after the final whistle that Gardner-Johnson, the former Saint, was heard shouting in the locker room: “They ain’t no contenders, they’re pretenders. They have Derek Carr, remember that.”

Carr certainly had a hand in the Saints loss, there’s no doubt about that, and he has most certainly not been perfect since signing with the Saints. After the first two weeks it felt like he turned things around, and the pressure coming at him due to the loss of Erik McCoy early into the game did not help, but Carr did not look great regardless. Having a former Saints draft pick in the opposing locker room celebrating that after a tough loss does not feel great for anyone involved, presumably.

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Chris Olave beat C.J. Gardner-Johnson for go-ahead TD

Chris Olave beat C.J. Gardner-Johnson for a go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter. But the Eagles got the last laugh:

The New Orleans Saints took the lead late in the fourth quarter on the back of a Chris Olave toe-tap touchdown grab, where he beat Philadelphia Eagles safety (and former Saints standout) C.J. Gardner-Johnson, gettting to the edge of the end zone. This put the Saints up 12-7 with a two-point conversion attempt coming up short.

Olave had a solid day to that point as well, with 6 receptions for 85 yards and the touchdown. The Saints’ receiving corps struggled for much of the game, primarily because the pass game was not effective due to offensive line troubles and spotty ball placement from Derek Carr. Unfortunately the Eagles re-took the lead and won the game after this, but Olave had an exceptional day regardless.

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Taysom Hill headlines Saints’ inactives list vs. Eagles

The Saints and Eagles shared their inactive lists for Sunday’s Week 3 matchup. Taysom Hill is out, but C.J. Gardner-Johnson will play for Philly:

The New Orleans Saints Week 3 matchup is here, and with that we have the full inactive players list heading into their game with the Philadelphia Eagles. As the Saints look to move on up to 3-0 for the first time since 2013, the Eagles look to bounce back off a close loss to the Atlanta Falcons this past Monday.

Taysom Hill came into this game as doubtful, and he will be out for this matchup. Four players came into this game questionable for the Saints, including Will Harris, A.T. Perry, Landon Young, and D’Marco Jackson. Harris and Young are both active, while Perry and Jackson will both be out.

Spencer Rattler will remain the third quarterback/emergency quarterback for the third straight week as well.

C.J. Gardner-Johnson, despite being questionable, will play and is active for this matchup with his former team in the Saints.

Here are the inactive lists from each team for Week 3:

New Orleans Saints inactive players:

  • DT Khalen Saunders (calf)
  • TE Taysom Hill (chest)
  • WR Bub Means
  • WR A.T. Perry (illness)
  • LB D’Marco Jackson
  • QB Spencer Rattler (emergency third QB)

Philadelphia Eagles inactive players:

  • WR A.J. Brown (hamstring)
  • LB Devin White
  • CB Eli Ricks
  • DT Byron Young
  • OL Trevor Keegan
  • OL Darian Kinnard
  • QB Tanner McKee (emergency third QB)

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Eagles are optimistic C.J. Gardner-Johnson will play against Saints in Week 3

Philadelphia Eagles are optimistic C.J. Gardner-Johnson will play against the New Orleans Saints in Week 3

The Saints drafted C.J. Gardner-Johnson but have not faced his former team since he was traded before the 2022 season.

After a stop in Detroit, Gardner-Johnon is back in Philadelphia, but there were some concerns that he’d miss this matchup after suffering a foot injury in practice during the week.

Gardner-Johnson made the trip to New Orleans, and the Eagles didn’t make any practice squad moves at the safety position.   Before the team headed to the Caesars Superdome for warmups, Jeremy Fowler reported that Eagles brass are optimistic that the talented safety will play.

Gardner-Johnson was listed as questionable before the team left Philadelphia, but it looks like he’ll bring energy and swagger to an Eagles defense that badly needs a good performance.

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Tyrann Mathieu could enter Week 3 with an extra chip on his shoulder

C.J. Gardner-Johnson called out Tyrann Mathieu over Madden ratings this summer. Mathieu fired back, and that trash talk could work out as good motivation:

Tyrann Mathieu may play with an extra chip on his shoulder this week.

Players typically find their own source of additional motivation. Mathieu may look back to a social media moment with C.J. Gardner-Johnson this offseason as motivation for the game between the New Orleans Saints and Philadelphia Eagles.

Gardner-Johnson took issue with Mathieu having a higher overall than him in Madden. In response, Gardner-Johnson called out Mathieu and his former team. He points towards how 2022 and 2023 transpired as proof that Mathieu isn’t a better player than him.

It’s flawed logic on a couple of fronts, but most notably, Mathieu didn’t replace Gardner Johnson. He may be a safety now, but he was a nickel corner with the Saints.

Mathieu didn’t care how flawed the logic was, he fired back in tweets that have now been deleted. It’s unclear if this was the straw that broke the camel’s back, but Mathieu responded like his name had been being played with.

More than just the initial response, Mathieu began to post lists where he was ranked highly. These moments always felt like subliminal shots towards Gardner-Johnson. The posts shared the same tone as Mathieu’s direct response.

The tone was Mathieu is a veteran who has played at a high level and continues to do so. It clearly lit a fire underneath Mathieu in August, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see that fire be reignited with Gardner-Johnson on the opposing side.

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C.J. Gardner-Johnson injury: Ex-Saints DB is questionable for Eagles

C.J. Gardner-Johnson has missed two games against the Saints with injuries. He was a midweek add to the Eagles injury report but his old team is ready if he plays:

C.J. Gardner-Johnson has already missed two rematch games against the New Orleans Saints with injuries on two different teams, so he’s probably looking forward to his third chance for some payback. But he was a surprise midweek addition to the Philadelphia Eagles injury report with a foot issue. That has made him questionable for Sunday’s game.

His old team is ready if he plays. Saints head coach Dennis Allen was asked Friday about planning for instigators who bait opponents into hotheaded penalties, and he had a great response.

“Is there a particular player you’re talking about?” Allen quipped.

Gardner-Johnson has developed a reputation as one of the NFL’s best trash talkers. When he was with the Saints, he was known for getting under opponents’ skin and drawing flags — and a punch or two. That’s continued after he left the team. Last Monday night he taunted another player into swinging on him and hurting their team.

So the Saints are going to be ready, if Gardner-Johnson does end up playing. They know him better than any other team around the league. It just comes down to health. The Saints traded him to the Eagles in 2022 but a lacerated kidney put Gardner-Johnson on injured reserve before they could play each other later that season. He signed with the Detroit Lions in 2023, another Saints opponent, but a torn pectoral muscle sidelined him again before kickoff.

Now he’s gone back to Philadelphia and is dealing with another untimely injury. We’ll have to wait to see whether he can gut it out. When approached by Eagles beat reporters in the locker room on Friday, Gardner-Johnson offered only a brief comment: “See ya Sunday.”

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