The Detroit Lions have had a fairly quiet start to free agency. Their one big move was signing cornerback D.J. Reed to a three-year, $48 million deal. Meanwhile, many teams across the league have been very active in both signing free agents and making trades.
The Houston Texans have been the most active team on the trade market since Monday. Houston has traded away offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil and offensive guard Kenyon Green, making a bad offensive line worse. As part of the Green trade, the Texans acquired a polarizing former Lions defensive back.
According to Adam Schefter, the Texans acquired safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson in exchange for Green and a pick swap. Gardner-Johnson has now joined his third team in three years.
Despised Former Lion C.J. Gardner-Johnson Joins the Texans
Gardner-Johnson spent the 2023 season in Detroit and was beloved by many Lions fans because of his trash talk. However, that same fire that gets fans of the team Gardner-Johnson is on behind him is the reason the rest of the league dislikes him. So, it's no surprise that as soon as he left Detroit, the 27-year-old quickly made Lions fans turn against him.
According to the Detroit Free Press, following his departure, Gardner-Johnson had a series of social media posts calling out Lions fans. To no one's surprise, this created quite a backlash from fans.
Unfortunately, the two teams didn't meet in 2024, or Lions fans would have given Gardner-Johnson a piece of their mind. Although his mouth gets him in trouble, the 27-year-old's play remains solid.
In 2024, Gardner-Johnson recorded 59 tackles, 12 passes defended, six interceptions, and one forced fumble. Moreover, he had an 82.6 coverage grade, according to PFF. Therefore, it's not like the Texans aren't acquiring a good defender.
Even so, Texans fans should be cautious about supporting Gardner-Johnson. He clearly showed a hatred for Lions fans after leaving, even though they supported him while he was in Detroit. Nonetheless, now that he is in the AFC, the two are less likely to cross paths again.