THE HOUSTON TEXANS have released C. J. Gardner-Johnson just three weeks into the season.
Gardner-Johnson, 27, joined the Texans in March following his second stint with the Philadelphia Eagles.
The safety recorded 15 total tackles in his three starts with Houston this term.
That was after one of the best seasons of his career as he matched a career-high with six interceptions across 16 games for the Eagles, who won the Super Bowl last season.
However, the Texans opted to cut the ex-New Orleans Saints star from the team after just three games.
According to NFL insider Aaron Wilson, the decision was made due to “friction behind the scenes”.
Wilson added that Gardner-Johnson was “complaining about his role, wanting to blitz more” and “communicating that he wanted to be traded”.
The franchise decided it wasn’t working out anymore and didn’t think the Florida native’s troubles were worth hanging onto.
This comes after fellow safety Jimmie Ward was removed from the commissioner’s exempt list on Monday.
Gardner-Johnson’s career kicked off in 2019 when he joined the Saints following some stunning performances in college with the Florida Gators.
The safety was picked in the fourth round of the Draft six years ago and spent two seasons in New Orleans.
He then moved to the Eagles in 2022 for a short stint before joining the Detroit Lions a year later.
Gardner-Johnson didn’t stay long with the Lions and returned to Philadelphia last year where he won the Super Bowl and banked $29million.
