March 12, 2024

Report: Eagles are signing S Chauncey Gardner-Johnson

After one year spent in Philly in 2022, Chauncey Gardner-Johnson is returning to the Eagles on a three-year contract.

By Jimmy Kempski
PhillyVoice Staff

Eric Hartline/USA Today

Chauncey Gardner-Johnson.

The Philadelphia Eagles are signing safety Chauncey Gardner-Johnson to a three-year contract, according to a report from Adam Schefter of ESPN.

Eagles are signing Safety/Nickel Chauncey Gardner-Johnson to a 3 year deal worth up to $33 million max value.

His agents Kevin Conner & Robert Brown of @unisportsmgmt confirmed the deal. Back to Philly.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 12, 2024

In August of 2022, the Eagles traded a 2023 fifth-round pick and a 2024 sixth-round pick for Gardner-Johnson and a 2025 seventh-round pick. Gardner-Johnson proceeded to quickly become a fan favorite, leading the NFL in interceptions that season, with six, despite missing five games with a lacerated kidney.

Gardner-Johnson played out the final year of his rookie contract in 2022, and entered free agency hopeful to land a monster contract. Instead, the safety market league-wide was surprisingly soft. The Eagles had strong interest in re-signing Gardner-Johnson early in free agency, however, they pivoted to keeping James Bradberry and Darius Slay in house when Gardner-Johnson turned down the Eagles' offers.

Gardner-Johnson would eventually sign a contract with the Lions that was less than what the Eagles had offered. He suffered a torn pectoral muscle in the Lions' Week 2 loss to the Seahawks, and missed the next 14 games. He returned in January for the Lions' final regular season game, and played well, collecting 4 tackles, an INT and a pass breakup. He also picked off Baker Mayfield in the Lions' divisional round win over the Buccaneers.

Tipped and picked by CJ Gardner-Johnson!

📺: #TBvsDET on NBC
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/frRD38ClOq pic.twitter.com/YywC0LjHRm
— NFL (@NFL) January 21, 2024

The Eagles missed Gardner-Johnson in 2023, as they were depleted at times both at safety and at slot corner. In 2022, Gardner-Johnson played both positions for the Eagles at a high level, and he did so with swagger and confidence, which the Eagles' defense was also missing at times last season.

The Eagles have proven in the past that they will bring back players with whom they've had messy divorces, like Jeremiah Trotter and DeSean Jackson. CJGJ is now just the latest example.