Fans of the Houston Texans remember the C.J. Gardner-Johnson era with sour memories.
In his three games with the AFC South franchise following a trade from the Philadelphia Eagles, the Texans were winless. In two of those games, Gardner-Johnson, known for his loud, brash and unapologetic personality, played out of position, resulting in two late touchdowns for the Los Angeles Rams and Jacksonville Jaguars to secure home wins.
After a loss in Duval, the Texans released the former league leader in interceptions. Gardner-Johnson bounced around the Baltimore Ravens practice squad before eventually landing as a starter with the Chicago Bears. Meanwhile, Houston used different safeties to fill the void as it would go one to secure another postseason bid and wild-card round win.
The marriage was flawed, but both sides walked away better because of it. However, Gardner-Johnson has a different side of the story as to why his time in Houston was short-lived. In an interview with The Athletic’s Tim Graham, the do-it-all defensive back mentioned that there was a negative feel around the franchise from the early stages of training camp.
While the team was practicing in West Virginia at The Greenbriar, Gardner-Johnson said things turned ugly after he had a confrontation with “the GM’s friend.”
“That’s how I got [cut] in Houston,” Gardner-Johnson said. “One person that’s not technically a part of the organization called me a B-word at Greenbrier. I get out my body; he says something to the GM [Nick Caserio], and the next thing I’m cut.”
Following his release, ESPN reported that tensions grew from the early stages of training camp between Gardner-Johnson and Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans. He felt as if the Texans were using him wrong in their scheme and he’d rather “rely on his own knowledge” rather than play in a different position.
Gardner-Johnson also told The Athletic that he wasn’t a problem with the franchise and his on-field play has no reliance on his release.
“If y’all going to cut me, cut me. But I’ll give nobody reasons to cut me. I haven’t,” Gardner-Johnson said. “I don’t. I’m not a cancer. There’s nobody in this locker room that says, ‘Chauncey’s a problem.’ The media loves me. The only thing that’ll do it is something that triggers somebody that has a say in the building that can alter somebody else’s mind. That happens every time.”
It was also reported that Gardner-Johnson had been “exhausting” by complaining about his role while talking about other players’ contracts. The veteran denied the claim.
“I never said s— about nobody’s contract,” Gardner-Johnson said. “I’m on a $33 million deal. Why the f— would I talk about somebody’s contract?”
The timing of Gardner-Johnson’s story is the only issue with the report. Houston practiced in West Virginia during the early stages of training camp and Garder-Johnson was released in late September. Also, he suffered a serious knee injury during training camp that initially was feared to be a season-ending issue before further testing revealed that he’d be cleared to return in a few weeks.
If Gardner-Johnson was a headache and injured, why wouldn’t the Texans have cut him there?
Regardless, both parties ended up playing in the postseason and are better off apart. Gardner-Johnson rebounded with the Bears, totaling 51 combined tackles, four passes defensed and three sacks while being used near the line of scrimmage. Houston finished with the second-most turnovers at 17, trailing only Chicago’s 22.
As for Gardner-Johnson, he’s moving forward in Buffalo and is ready to see his former team in Week 1 when the Bills arrive at Reliant Stadium to kick off the 2026 NFL season.
“I’m going to win the next two out of three Super Bowls,” Gardner-Johnson said. “How? Look where they placed me at. Look, who’s my quarterback?”
This article originally appeared on Texans Wire: Former Texans DB C.J. Gardner-Johnson claims ‘GM’s friend’ caused his release
Reporting by Cole Thompson, Texans Wire / Texans Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Cole Thompson, Texans Wire | USA TODAY Network
