Eagles expected to franchise C.J. Gardner-Johnson if deal can’t be reached

Well, this will ease the minds of many (our staff at Inside The Iggles included). It appears that Chauncey ‘C.J.’ Gardner-Johnson isn’t going anywhere. If the Philadelphia Eagles can’t hammer out a new deal, they’re expected to place the franchise tag on him.

The news comes courtesy of Adam Caplan of SiriusXM NFL, FOX Sports Radio, and Inside The Birds. As expected, the feedback to that announcement has been positive, as it should be.

Keeping C.J. Gardner-Johnson in the nest is a wise move by the Philadelphia Eagles leadership structure.

The Eagles traded a fifth-round draft choice in 2023 and the lower of their two sixth-round picks in the 2024 NFL Draft to the New Orleans Saints to acquire a 2025 seventh-round draft choice and Gardner-Johnson’s services. He started the first 12 games of Philly’s season before lacerating a kidney and being placed on the injured reserve on December 3rd.

Philadelphia eventually activated a 21-day practice window before officially elevating him from the I.R. back to the 53-man roster on January 7th. He appeared in all three of the Eagles’ postseason games and racked up 12 tackles and a pass breakup during that stretch. He finished the regular season with 67 total tackles, a sack, and eight pass breakups.

He also finished as a co-interceptions leader (six total) despite having missed five regular-season games. Howie Roseman and the Eagles typically don’t invest heavily in the safety position from a financial standpoint, but it’s relatively obvious. Keeping C.J. G.J. around is a no-brainer for this Eagles team.