The New Orleans Saints haven’t employed Chauncey Gardner-Johnson — known by many as C.J. — in half a decade.
But he’s still hanging around the NFL, and his on-field antics certainly aren’t anything new. On Sunday, they earned him an ejection for spitting.
More punishment could be coming, too. Spitting on opposing players certainly isn’t looked upon kindly by the NFL leadership.
What Did C.J. Gardner-Johnson Do?
Gardner-Johnson plays for the Buffalo Bills now, and they were in Las Vegas on Sunday taking on the Raiders.
After a play, Gardner-Johnson appeared to be chatting with Raiders star tight end Brock Bowers. It apparently wasn’t a friendly conversation.
Gardner-Johnson spit on Bowers.
The slow-motion cameras of the CBS broadcast caught the moment. So did Raiders center Tyler Linderbaum, who immediately got in Gardner-Johnson’s face.
This is what the scene looked like (and this isn’t the link if it doesn’t display correctly):
#Bills DB C.J. Gardner-Johnson has been ejected, and it appears he may have spit on a #Raiders player.
https://t.co/ckzy3yMn6M
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) October 18, 2026
CBS spoke to its rules analyst Gene Steratore on the broadcast, as well, and he made it clear that this was exactly the correct call.
Gardner-Johnson has already been under criticism by Bills followers this year for being a weak link defensively — and now getting ejected certainly won’t help his cause for being believed in going forward, either.
C.J. Gardner-Johnson NFL Career Timeline
Gardner-Johnson was originally a fourth-round pick of the Saints in the 2019 NFL Draft out of Florida, and he was immediately a playmaker.
He played in 16 games in his rookie season and had one interception, one fumble forced, one fumble recovery, eight passes defenses and 49 tackles, including 6.0 for a loss.
In the 2020 season, Gardner-Johnson played 15 games for the Saints with one pick, 1.0 sack, 66 tackles, including five for a loss, and 13 passes defensed.
His final Saints season was 2021, when he got 12 games and intercepted three passes, recorded 2.0 sacks and totaled 46 tackles.
Gardner-Johnson went to the Philadelphia Eagles in 2022 and led the league with six interceptions.
He played for the Detroit Lions for just three games in an injury-shortened 2023 season.
Gardner-Johnson was back to the Eagles in 2024, picked off six more passes and won a Super Bowl ring.
In 2025, Gardner-Johnson split the year with the Texans and the Bears.
And now he’s with the Bills in 2026. Entering Sunday, he had an interception and 25 tackles.
Gardner-Johnson will turn 29 in December, so he still could have some career left — if he can keep himself on the field and in position to make plays, as opposed to causing trouble. He’s often had to strike that narrow balance in his career, and it hasn’t always worked well.
Ex-Saints Star Ejected for Spitting on Raiders