It’s not often that someone who only plays three games for a team makes a lasting impression on their fanbase, but C.J. Gardner-Johnson is someone Detroit Lions fans won’t forget soon, for all the wrong reasons.
Signing with and then leaving the Detroit Lions was just one of the stops he’s made in recent years, and he was most recently traded from the Philadelphia Eagles to the Houston Texans. This marks his fourth team change in as many seasons.
He hasn’t even set foot on the field for the Texans yet, and he’s already trying to big-time one of the youngsters on the roster.
In a vacuum, is calling out a young player to try to get his jersey number a big deal? Not really. But even if we ignore everything else about Gardner-Johnson, a public callout like this (instead of simply having a conversation between adults) is already a little ridiculous.
Now factor in that Gardner-Johnson has burned bridges everywhere he has gone, and this should really raise some eyebrows.
While injuries shortened his tenure in Detroit, Gardner-Johnson still felt the need to call out Lions fans after his departure, while also complaining about the organization.
Things didn’t get any better after he left, either. The Eagles were willing to give him a second chance, even though he had bashed them after originally leaving Philly for Detroit, and it didn’t take long for them to give up on him again.
Teams can forgive most behavioral issues when they’re winning, but even the Super Bowl champion Eagles wasted no time in moving on from Gardner-Johnson this offseason. That should tell you a lot about his long-term future in Houston.