HOUSTON – The Texans are moving on from veteran safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson after dealing with friction involving him behind the scenes, per league sources.
The Texans later made the move official, announcing his outright release.
Among the issues that arose with Gardner-Johnson, per sources: criticism of teammates in the secondary, including the size of one player’s contract, complaints about his role, including a desire to blitz more frequently, and a trade request along with him making frequent comparisons to what he was accustomed to with the Philadelphia Eagles’ Super Bowl championship squad.
There was also a recurring tendency from Gardner-Johnson to allow game-changing plays, including a touchdown allowed against the Los Angeles Rams to tight end Davis Allen in the season-opener that was incorrectly attributed to cornerback Kamari Lassiter in addition to costly breakdowns against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Jacksonville Jaguars.
“When you see a big play that happens on our defense, somewhere along the lines, there’s a bust in communication,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said Monday without naming names. “It all starts with communication and it hasn’t been as crisp as it needs to be. So, we have to play better on the defensive side.
“We got to communicate better and we got to execute the defense better. So, it’s not been great. We see that. We have to make some adjustments there to make sure we get it corrected.”
Ultimately, it was simply too much for the Texans to tolerate, especially during a winless start to the season after hoping to take the next step and advance further in the postseason.
Gardner-Johnson started the first three games of the season after recovering from a knee injury suffered at The Greenbrier. He was acquired in a trade from the Philadelphia Eagles, whom he intercepted six passes for last season on a Super Bowl championship squad, in exchange for former first-round offensive guard Kenyon Green.
He recorded 15 tackles, and one quarterback hit with zero interceptions during his short time with the Texans, who are 0-3 for the season.
Next man up at safety is expected to be M.J. Stewart in tandem with Calen Bullock, an instinctive, ball-hawking second-year defensive back.
“I’m ready to go hunt,” Gardner-Johnson said before the opener against the Los Angeles Rams. “New team. They haven’t seen me all preseason: What I’m gonna do? I feel good. Just blessed to be on the field with a group of guys that’s ready to play.”
The Texans previously restructured Gardner-Johnson’s contract. This was unrelated to that financial maneuver, though.
Gardner-Johnson’s converted contract has a $6.58 million signing bonus, a $1.17 million base salary and a salary-cap figure of $3.086 million, down from $9 million. In 2026, he was due a $1.3 million base salary.
One of the highest-energy and outspoken defensive backs in the NFL, Gardner-Johnson was expected to provide a boost to an already loaded defense and secondary that includes Pro Bowl pass rushers Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson Jr., All-Pro corner Derek Stingley Jr., and second-year corner Kamari Lassiter and safety Calen Bullock. Between Bullock and Gardner-Johnson, they combined for 11 interceptions last season.
“The energy has been good,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said previously. “C.J. has been back for a few days now, so the energy has been good. It is just a matter of getting him back into football. Just doing the communication, being where we are supposed to be, making sure everybody is on the same page.
“It just takes time getting back to that. He has done a really good job of just fitting right back in and rolling with the communication. So, we are excited to have him back. C.J. is good to go. He’s done what we expect from him for where he could go.”
Gardner-Johnson said he was aiming for another Super Bowl ring with the Texans, who have never advanced past the AFC divisional round in six previous games. In the Super Bowl, he helped limit Kansas City Chiefs star tight end Travis Kelce to just four catches for 39 yards on six targets.
“I’m gonna come and ball like I’ve been doing,” Gardner-Johnson said. “Go check the Carfax. I’m gonna bring the same thing I brought from other teams here. I’m just gonna check in a different way.”
Instead, it didn’t work out. And now it’s over.
Last season, he recorded 59 tackles, 12 pass breakups and forced a fumble. Known for his trash talking to opponents, Gardner-Johnson has a bombastic alpha personality. He has the credibility factor down pat with 18 career interceptions, 304 tackles and 41 pass breakups.
He has outperformed several safeties drafted ahead of him, including first-round draft picks Darnell Savage and Johnathan Abram, second-round picks Marquise Blair, Nassir Adderley, Taylor Rapp and Juan Thornhill and third-round picks Will Harris and Mike Edwards. Gardner-Johnson was the ninth safety drafted in 2019 after excelling at the University of Florida.
“It’s dope,” Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud said. “His presence is always felt. He’s also heard a lot. So, it’s good. We need that type of energy and he does a good job of bringing that juice and that energy and that swag to our defense and our team. So, I’m very happy that he’s alright and he’s back.”
Gardner-Johnson, acquired in an offseason trade in exchange for Green, was defending wide receiver John Metchie III in a routine play in a scrimmage. After Metchie was traded to the Eagles, Gardner-Johnson acquired etchie’s previous No. 8 jersey after switching from No. 23.
The Texans ranked sixth in passing defense and 13th in scoring defense last season.
There were no mentions of the issues with Gardner-Johnson from Ryans, but that’s understandable.
“He stepped back in,” Ryans said. “Since last week, he’s been out there. He stepped back in. He’s done a nice job of just working the communication, what we expect from him, right where he picked up.”
Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com
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