Chauncey "C. J." Gardner-Johnson (né Gardner Jr.; born December 20, 1997) is an American professional football safety for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Florida Gators and was selected by the New Orleans Saints in the fourth round of the 2019 NFL draft. He has also played for the Detroit Lions, Philadelphia Eagles, Houston Texans, and Chicago Bears, winning Super Bowl LIX with the Eagles.
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Name changes
Gardner-Johnson was known as Chauncey Gardner Jr. prior to his junior year at Florida. On December 31, 2017, he announced that he changed his last name to Gardner-Johnson in honor of his stepfather, Brian Johnson. His father Chauncey Gardner Sr. has been a part of his life, but Johnson raised Gardner-Johnson since he was a toddler until he left for college.
In both 2020 and 2023, Gardner-Johnson posted his intention to legally change his name to Ceedy Duce on Instagram. Despite this, he has yet to formally change it. In 2020, he stated "Officially changing my name to Ceedy Duce. No more Chauncey or C.J. Gardner-Johnson. Time to pave a way for my own imagine [sic] that I want no more judgement, thoughts on me, because you really don't know me, until you understand me as a person I won't speak unless spoken to." In 2023, he said "Court doucments [sic] otw (on the way). It's a different person. I got an alter ego. I got like two different people living in me, football and life. Life, I’m just chilling. Football, that’s a whole different person. People call me Ceedy on the football field or Ducey. In life, they call me C.J. or Chauncey".
College career
As a true freshman at Florida, Gardner-Johnson appeared in all 14 games, making starts in the final seven games of the season. During the 2017 Outback Bowl, Gardner-Johnson had two tackles and two interceptions, one of which was returned for a touchdown against Iowa. He was named the MVP of the Outback Bowl. During his sophomore season, Gardner-Johnson started in all 11 games. Before his junior season, Gardner-Johnson was moved to the nickelback position. On November 26, 2018, Gardner-Johnson announced that he would forgo his final year of eligibility and declare for the 2019 NFL draft.
Professional career
Pre-draft
NFL draft analysts had him projected to be drafted as early as the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft. Chris Trapasso of CBS Sports ranked Gardner-Johnson as the second best safety prospect prior to the NFL Scouting Combine. After the NFL Combine, WalterFootball.com, Pro Football Focus, and NFL draft analyst Rob Rang ranked Gardner-Johnson as the fifth best safety prospect in the draft. Matt Miller of Bleacher Report also ranked him as the fifth best safety and projected him to be selected in the second round. Sports Illustrated ranked him as the second best safety prospect in the draft. Scouts Inc. had him as the fifth best safety prospect (83rd overall) in the 2019 NFL Draft.
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints selected Gardner-Johnson in the fourth round (105th overall) of the 2019 NFL draft. The New Orleans Saints orchestrated a trade to ensure the acquisition of Gardner-Johnson by agreeing to exchange their fourth (116th overall) and fifth round picks (168th overall) in the 2019 NFL Draft with the New York Jets for their fourth round pick (105th overall). He became the ninth safety drafted in 2019.
On May 10, 2019, the New Orleans Saints signed Gardner-Johnson to a four–year, $3.30 million rookie contract that includes an initial signing bonus of $784,100.
Throughout training camp, Gardner-Johnson competed for a role as a backup safety against Chris Banjo, Saquan Hampton, J. T. Gray, and Terrell Williams. Defensive coordinator Dennis Allen also had Gardner-Johnson take reps at nickelback in camp. Head coach Sean Payton chose Gardner-Johnson to be the backup strong safety to start the season, behind starter Vonn Bell.
In September 9, 2019, Gardner-Johnson made his professional regular season debut in the New Orleans Saints' home-opener against the Houston Texans, but was limited to one tackle in their 30–28 victory. In Week 7, Gardner-Johnson earned his first career start, starting as a nickelback, and collected a season-high seven solo tackles and a season-high two pass deflections in a 36–25 victory at the Chicago Bears.
In a Week 13 game against the Atlanta Falcons on Thanksgiving Day, Gardner-Johnson recorded his first career interception off a pass thrown by Matt Ryan in the 26–18 win. On December 16, 2019, Gardner-Johnson had his first start at strong safety and recorded eight combined tackles (six solo) and forced a fumble by wide receiver Kalif Raymond which he recovered during the 34–7 win against the Indianapolis Colts. He started the last three games at strong safety in place of Vonn Bell who was inactive due to a knee sprain. He finished his rookie campaign in 2019 with a total of 42 combined tackles (34 solo), eight pass deflections, one interception, one forced fumble, and a fumble recovery in 16 games and seven starts. He was named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team.
The New Orleans Saints finished the 2019 NFL season a top their division in the NFC South with a 13–3 record, clinching a playoff berth. On January 5, 2020, Gardner-Johnson started in his first career playoff game and recorded three combined tackles (two solo) and made one pass deflection during a 20–26 overtime loss against the Minnesota Vikings in the NFC Wildcard Game.
Philadelphia Eagles (first stint)
On August 30, 2022, the New Orleans Saints traded Gardner-Johnson along with a 2025 seventh-round pick to the Philadelphia Eagles in return for a 2023 fifth-round pick (165th overall) and the lower of their two sixth-round picks (199th overall) in 2024.
He entered training camp slated to be a starting safety following the departures of Anthony Harris and Rodney McLeod. He competed for the role of starting strong safety against K'Von Wallace under defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon. Head coach Nick Sirianni named him the starting strong safety to begin the regular season and paired him with Marcus Epps.
On October 9, 2022, Gardner-Johnson recorded ten solo tackles, a pass deflection, and had his first interception as a member of the Eagles on a pass thrown by Kyler Murray to wide receiver Marquise Brown during a 20–17 win at the Arizona Cardinals. The following week, he made four combined tackles (three solo), two pass deflections, and a career-high two interceptions off passes by Cooper Rush as the Eagles defeated the Dallas Cowboys season 26–17 in Week 6. On November 14, 2022, he made six solo tackles, tied his season-high of two pass deflections, and set a career-high with his sixth interception of the season on a pass by Taylor Heinicke to mark his fifth consecutive game with an interception during a 21–32 loss to the Washington Commanders. The following week, he set a career-high with 11 solo tackles during a 17–16 win at the Indianapolis Colts in Week 11. In Week 12, he recorded one solo tackle before exiting during the second quarter of a 40–33 win against the Green Bay Packers after sustaining an injury. On December 3, 2022, the Eagles officially placed him on injured reserve due to a lacerated kidney. He was leading the league with six interceptions at the time. On January 7, 2023, he was activated from injured reserve and added to the active roster after missing five games (Weeks 13–17). He finished the 2022 season with one sack, 67 combined tackles (61 solo), six interceptions, and eight passes defended.
The Philadelphia Eagles finished the 2022 NFL season a top the NFC East with a 14–3 record to clinch a first-round bye. They routed the New York Giants 38–7 in the Divisional Round. On January 29, 2023, Gardner-Johnson started in the NFC Championship Game and made five combined tackles (two solo) as the Eagles routed the San Francisco 49ers 31–7 to advance to the Super Bowl. On February 12, 2023, Gardner-Johnson started in Super Bowl LVII and recorded four combined tackles (three solo) in the Eagles' 38–35 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
Detroit Lions
On March 20, 2023, the Detroit Lions signed Gardner-Johnson to a fully guaranteed one–year, $6.50 million contract that includes an initial signing bonus of $4.00 million.
On July 23, 2023, Gardner-Johnson suffered a non-contact leg injury during the start of Lions training camp. Despite fears of a potentially season-ending ligament injury, it was announced the next day after an MRI that Gardner-Johnson avoided structural damage and was "day-to-day" in his recovery. Throughout training camp, he competed to be a starting safety against Kerby Joseph and Tracy Walker. Head coach Dan Campbell named him the starting free safety to begin the season and paired him with starting strong safety Kerby Joseph.
On September 17, 2023, he collected a season-high eight combined tackles (six solo) during a 31–37 overtime loss to the Seattle Seahawks before exiting in the fourth quarter due to an injury. On September 19, 2023, the Lions placed him on injured reserve after suffering a torn pectoral. On December 14, 2023, Gardner-Johnson was medically cleared to return to the field. On January 6, 2024, the Lions removed him from injured reserve and added him to the active roster after missing 14 games (Weeks 3–17). On January 7, 2024, Gardner-Johnson made four solo tackles, a pass deflection, and had his only interception of the season on a pass by Nick Mullens to wide receiver Jordan Addison during a 30–20 win against the Minnesota Vikings. He finished the 2023 NFL season with only 17 combined tackles (16 solo), three pass deflections, and one interception in three games and two starts.
Philadelphia Eagles (second stint)
On March 14, 2024, the Philadelphia Eagles signed Gardner-Johnson to a three–year, $27 million contract that includes $10 million guaranteed. He entered training camp slated as the de facto starting strong safety under defensive coordinator Vic Fangio following the departure of Kevin Byard. Head coach Nick Sirianni named him the starting strong safety to begin the season and paired him with free safety Reed Blankenship.
In Week 10, he collected a season-high seven combined tackles (two solo), made a pass deflection, and intercepted a pass thrown by Trey Lance to wide receiver Jalen Tolbert during a 34–6 win at the Dallas Cowboys. On December 8, 2024, he recorded six combined tackles (three solo), set a season-high with two pass deflections, and intercepted a pass by Bryce Young during a 22–16 win against the Carolina Panthers. On December 29, 2024, Gardner-Johnson had one solo tackle, two pass deflections, and tied his career-high of two interceptions, returning one for his first career touchdown during a 41–7 win over the Dallas Cowboys. He scored his first career touchdown on the Cowboys' opening drive of the game after intercepting a pass thrown by Cooper Rush intended for wide receiver Brandin Cooks and returned it for a 69-yard pick-six. His performance earned him NFC Defensive Player of the Week. Head coach Nick Sirianni opted to rest Gardner-Johnson and the rest of the starters during a Week 18 victory against the New York Giants to rest them before the playoffs. He finished the season with 59 combined tackles (35 solo), 12 pass deflections, a career-high tying six interceptions, and one touchdown in 16 games and 16 starts.
The Philadelphia Eagles finished the 2024 NFL season first in the NFC East with a 14–3 record. They defeated the Green Bay Packers 22–10 in the NFC Wildcard Game. On January 19, 2025, he made six combined tackles (five solo) during a 28–22 win against the Los Angeles Rams in the Divisional Round. On January 26, 2025, he started in the NFC Championship Game and had five combined tackles (three solo) as the Eagles routed the Washington Commanders 55–23 to advance to the Super Bowl. On February 9, 2025, Gardner-Johnson started in Super Bowl LIX and had three combined tackles (one solo) during a 40–22 victory against the Kansas City Chiefs. He earned the first Super Bowl ring of his career. Gardner-Johnson was one of a dozen Eagles players of the Super Bowl LIX championship team that did not participate in the White House visit in April 2025 though he stated his reasoning for skipping was not politically motivated and was due to his appearance and weight.
Houston Texans
On March 12, 2025, Gardner-Johnson and a 2026 sixth-round draft pick were traded to the Houston Texans in exchange for guard Kenyon Green and a 2025 fifth-round draft pick. On August 7, Gardner-Johnson suffered a leg injury during practice. Gardner-Johnson started the first three games of the season for Houston, recording 15 combined tackles. On September 23, the Texans released him.
Baltimore Ravens
On October 7, 2025, Gardner-Johnson was signed to the practice squad of the Baltimore Ravens. On October 14, he was released by the Ravens.
Chicago Bears
On October 29, 2025, Gardner-Johnson was signed by the Chicago Bears, reuniting him with defensive coordinator and former Saints coach Dennis Allen. His signing came after cornerback Kyler Gordon was placed on injured reserve, so Allen assigned Gardner-Johnson to a similar role that included blitzing as a nickelback.
In his first game with the Bears, a Week 9 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals, he recorded his first sack since 2022 along with six tackles. Gardner-Johnson had two sacks and a forced fumble in the following week's win against the Giants, becoming the first Bears defensive back with multiple sacks in a game since Ricky Manning in 2006. He suffered a concussion in the final game of the regular season, which kept him from playing in the Bears' wild card game before returning with a four-tackle performance in the divisional round.
Buffalo Bills
On March 13, 2026, Gardner-Johnson signed a one-year, $6 million contract with the Buffalo Bills.
During Week 6 against the Las Vegas Raiders, Gardner-Johnson was disqualified after spitting on Brock Bowers.