Cowboys Urged to Sign Controversial Ex-Bills Safety

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Buffalo Bills safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson.

The Buffalo Bills wanted out of the C.J. Gardner-Johnson business halfway through their first season with the mercurial Super Bowl champion safety and former NFL interceptions leader.

That doesn’t mean another team won’t think they’re the ones who can finally get Gardner-Johnson to act like an adult getting paid millions of dollars to play a game.

Bleacher Report’s Moe Moton put Gardner-Johnson on his list of the best bargain free agents who could help teams in the second half of the season — targeting the Dallas Cowboys as the best possible destination.

The Bills signed Gardner-Johnson to a 1-year, $3 million contract and cut him after just six games and a series of embarrassing incidents — the final straw was a one-game suspension for spitting on Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers in Week 6.

“C.J. Gardner-Johnson brings tremendous value to a secondary with his versatility,” Moton wrote on November 12. “The eight-year pro has played a significant number of snaps in center field as a deep safety, in the box and in the slot, logging 396 tackles (27 for loss), 57 pass breakups, 21 interceptions and seven sacks. Yet Gardner-Johnson hasn’t played more than three seasons with a team. He’s bounced around the league with six clubs, suiting up with a different squad every year since 2022. Gardner-Johnson’s constant movement raises questions about his fit in locker rooms and his temperament. This year, he played 90 percent of the defensive snaps across six appearances with the Buffalo Bills before the team released him. Teams interested in Gardner-Johnson should view him as a short-term rental, though he’s a chess-piece defender who can do a little bit of everything on the back end … the Dallas Cowboys need help for their 25th-ranked scoring defense.”

Latest CJGJ Incident Embarrassed Bills

The NFL wasn’t done punishing Gardner-Johnson after the suspension for spitting on Bowers.

In addition to his suspension without pay, which he will serve in Week 8 against the Baltimore Ravens because the Bills have a bye in Week 7, Gardner-Johnson was fined an additional $11,194 for unnecessary roughness against the Raiders.

“Update: Bills DB C.J. Gardner–Johnson received an $11,194 fine for unnecessary roughness (striking/kicking/kneeing) last week,” Bills Moves wrote on X.

Gardner-Johnson, no stranger to NFL discipline, issued a lengthy apology on his Instagram stories on Sunday night after giving non-answers following the game.

“My passion and competitive nature have always been a huge part of who I am, but I also understand that there is a line that should never be crossed,” Gardner-Johnson wrote, in part. “The gesture I made towards my opponent was inappropriate, unnecessary, and not a reflection of the respect I have for him or this game … one moment does not define my character.”

Gardner-Johnson has long been one of the NFL’s most controversial players — and one of its best safeties. He’s on his 7th team in 8 seasons, after stints with the New Orleans Saints, two stints with the Philadelphia Eagles, the Detroit Lions, the Houston Texans, the Baltimore Ravens, and the Chicago Bears.

Garnder-Johnson’s latest suspension and fine is the 17th and 18th times he’s been dinged by the NFL for running afoul of their rules in his short career — a laundry list of transgressions that includes taunting (five times), fighting (two times), and a variety of late hits and roughing the passer penalties.