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Newly acquired Detroit Lions safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson shared some disparaging words about his former team's fanbase.
Gardner-Johnson, who spent the 2022 season with the NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles, said he can't stand" the team's fanbase when asked to reveal his favorite and least favorite things about his lone season with the franchise during a Twitch live stream Wednesday (July 19) night.
“My least favorite thing is the people,” Gardner-Johnson said. “They’re f–king obnoxious, I f–king can’t stand the f–kers.”
Gardner-Johnson went on to say his favorite thing about playing in Philadelphia was the cold weather.
(WARNING: The video below contains foul language).
Gardner-Johnson chose to sign with the Lions over the Eagles as a free agent in March. The twitter account for Universal Sports & Entertainment Mgmt. LLC, which represents the safety, shared a post seemingly comparing the offers made by the two teams shortly after his decision, which has since been deleted.
"Perception Vs Reality….1 Year Real vs 3 Year Fake….which sounds better to you 1. One year deal = $8m 2. 3 yr deal = $24m max with 17m+ in yr 3 Which one you taking? Drop," the account wrote at the time.
The tweet came shortly after NBC Philadelphia's Reuben Frank claimed that Gardner-Johnson took less money to sign with the Lions -- who were one spot shy of the playoffs -- rather than return to the NFC champion Eagles.
"I'm told the Eagles did indeed make an offer at the start of free agency, but it wasn't what C.J. wanted, and he turned it down, and by the time he realized he had misjudged the market, the Eagles had moved onto other priorities. So he signed for less with Detroit," Frank tweeted.
Gardner-Johnson, along with Minkah Fitzpatrick of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Justin Simmons of the Denver Broncos and Tariq Woolen of the Seattle Seahawks, recorded an NFL best six interceptions in 2022. The former University of Florida standout was acquired by the Eagles in a trade with the New Orleans Saints ahead of the 2022 season.
Gardner-Johnson was selected by the Saints at No. 105 overall in the fourth-round of the 2019 NFL Draft.