Eagles trading safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson to Texans, per reports
The Philadelphia Eagles are trading safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson to the Houston Texans, according to reports.
Also included in the trade is Texans offensive lineman Kenyon Green and a pick swap. In summary, the Eagles are sending Gardner-Johnson and a 2026 sixth-round pick to Houston for Green and a 2026 fifth-round pick.
The news of the trade comes almost one year to the day after the Eagles signed Gardner-Johnson to a three-year, $27 million deal for a second stint with the team. Philadelphia had traded for the safety in 2022 – the last year of his rookie contract – before letting him walk in free agency the following offseason.
After signing a one-year deal with Detroit, Gardner-Johnson played just three games for the Lions due to a pectoral injury. He hit free agency for a second year in a row in 2024, and the Eagles signed him to a three-year deal last March.
The 27-year-old played 16 games in 2024, the first time he managed to reach that mark since his rookie year in 2019. Last season, Gardner-Johnson recorded 59 tackles (two for a loss), 12 pass defenses, six interceptions (including one returned for a touchdown) and one forced fumble.
Green, a former first-round pick by the Texans in 2022, played in 12 games – nine as a starter – in 2024 after missing the entirety of the 2023 season with a shoulder injury. The Texas A&M product also started in 14 out of the 15 games he played as a rookie in 2022.
Gardner-Johnson is the latest of six defensive players the Eagles have moved on from so far this offseason. Cornerbacks Darius Slay and James Bradberry are expected to be cut, and fellow defenders Isaiah Rodgers, Milton Williams and Josh Sweat have all agreed to new contracts elsewhere.
Green is the third offensive linemen the Texans are losing ahead of the 2025 season. Houston also cut guard Shaq Mason and traded tackle Laremy Tunsil to the Commanders on Monday.