Philadelphia Eagles safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson was fined for what appeared to be a pretty clean hit on Isiah Pacheco in Super Bowl LVII. Sure, the hard-hitting defender drove his helmet into Pacheco’s chest but there was no malicious intent. It was an old-school football play.
Problem is, everything is under extra scrutiny when players lead with their helmets. The NFL rule book states: “It is a foul if a player lowers his head and makes forcible contact with his helmet against an opponent.” Gardner-Johnson wasn’t penalized or disqualified during the game, but the league has docked him $14,111 (via Tom Pelissero). He plans to appeal the fine.
Gardner-Johnson took to Twitter to vent his frustration about the fine on Thursday: “Tell me why I got fined from the hit in Super Bowl.”
Tell me why I got fined from the hit in Super Bowl 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
The play occurred with 4:28 left in the fourth quarter with the score tied at 35-35. The Chiefs running back picked up two yards before getting rocked. Ten plays later, with James Bradberry’s holding penalty mixed in, Harrison Butker kicked a 27-yard field goal to win it for Kansas City. Anyway, you be the judge on whether Gardner-Johnson deserved a fine for the jarring hit:
A massive hit stick by Chauncey Gardner-Johnson on Isiah Pacheco. Rocked him.
Gardner-Johnson Wishes to Return to Eagles
The Eagles have a big decision to make on Gardner-Johnson in free agency. When the team traded for him after training camp, the front office knew he wanted a long-term contract extension and the early expectation was they were willing to give it to him. Spotrac projects Gardner-Johnson’s worth at $13.3 million per year or roughly $66.6 million over five years.
When asked about where he wanted to play in 2023, Gardner-Johnson sounded ready to re-up and return to Philly (via Chase Senior): “I mean, who wouldn’t want to come back here? It’s a great spot, great place, love it here.”
Asked CJ Gardner-Johnson if he wants to return to the #Eagles in Free Agency.
“Who wouldn’t want to come here? It’s a great spot. Great place. I love it here.”
Howie Roseman doesn’t address specific contract negotiations with the media, but negotiations could be playing out behind closed doors already. The 25-year-old safety tied for the NFL lead in interceptions (6) despite missing five regular-season games.
Bullying Chiefs WR JuJu Smith-Schuster on Twitter
One thing that comes free of charge with Gardner-Johnson is his mouth. The kid loves to talk trash to everyone, including his coaches, teammates, and opposing receivers. And that hobby applies on the field and off it. He was quick to fire shots at JuJu Smith-Schuster on Twitter the other day when the Chiefs receiver dissed James Bradberry. He let his feelings be known in two viral tweets that let Smith-Schuster know he was speaking out of turn.
The first one challenged his manhood (and Smith-Schuster responded):
And the second one poked fun at Smith-Schuster for only having three touchdowns, compared to six interceptions for Gardner-Johnson:
I got more INT’s then bra had TD’s….. maybe I need to change to WR 😅😂
For the record, Smith-Schuster had been throwing gas on the Eagles ever since Super Bowl LVII ended. He trolled them in his post-game press conference by calling out Philly rapper Lil Uzi Vert. When reporters asked what song he was going to listen to in celebration, he said: “I Just Want to Rock by Lil Uzi because the Eagles like it and I like it too.”
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Eagles $66 Million Defender Addresses Free Agency, Super Bowl Fine