Buffalo Bills safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson has never been one to bite his tongue.
The outspoken defensive back typically speaks his mind with zero regard for offending anyone. It was no different after Sunday’s 29-26 loss to the division rival New England Patriots when he took a jab at Pats receiver Efton Chism, who scored the game-winning touchdown in the final two minutes.
“Listen, we’re not going to get into no bulletin-board material,” Gardner-Johnson told reporters. “An elevated guy made a helluva catch. Probably won’t hear from him again. Respectfully. And I say that with a lot of confidence because… [Drake Maye] didn’t put his confidence in his best player. He would’ve thrown it to [Romeo] Doubs or something. But they won the game. Whatever.
“They didn’t do s–t better than us. We gotta play better. And they can mark that. We’ll be back to see them again at the end of the year, so they can have that same energy. And they put up, what, 20-something points? They barely scored, they struggled all game. A practice-squad player made a hell of a play.”
Gardner-Johnson’s remarks didn’t quite sit right with Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel, who returned the favor on Monday by taking a subtle shot right back at the 28-year-old DB.
Mike Vrabel Throws Shade at C.J. Gardner-Johnson
Vrabel is another one who’s not known for holding back. He has a reputation for rubbing people the wrong way sometimes, and he’s usually one to let you know exactly what’s on his mind.
So when he was asked about Gardner-Johnson’s comments about Chism during an appearance on “The Greg Hill Show” on Monday morning, Vrabel didn’t pass up the opportunity to throw some shade right back.
“For a guy who’s been on eight teams in four years, I guess he knows the drill,” Vrabel said.
It should be noted that Chism hasn’t been on a practice squad and has been on New England’s 53-man roster all season. He signed with the team as an undrafted free agent last year and won a spot on the 53-man roster. Chism played in 8 games in 2025 and he’s appeared in three games this season.
Gardner-Johnson, however, was on the Baltimore Ravens practice squad just last year.
He’s bounced around the league after being selected by the New Orleans Saints in the fourth round back in 2019. Since then he’s had stints with the Philadelphia Eagles (two), Detroit Lions, Houston Texans, Baltimore Ravens, Chicago Bears, and the Bills.
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