The agency representing safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson appears to have revealed the reason why he signed with the Detroit Lions over the Philadelphia Eagles.
The twitter account for Universal Sports & Entertainment Mgmt. LLC shared a post seemingly comparing the offers made by the Eagles, Garder-Johnson's former team and the Lions, which he agreed to Sunday (March 19) night.
"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.
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.