The following offseason, Gardner-Johnson joined the Detroit Lions on a one-year deal. He suffered a non-contact knee injury at a training camp practice and was carted off the field. He overcame it and was available to play at the start of the season, but then suffered a torn pectoral injury in Week 2. Gardner-Johnson was forced to miss 14 regular season games, and Detroit fell short in the NFC Championship Game.

Gardner-Johnson returned to Philly on a three-year contract in the 2024 offseason. He started in every game — playoffs included — for Philly en route to the team’s second Super Bowl title.

Now, he’ll begin a new chapter of his NFL journey in Houston. The Texans possess a talented defensive unit under head coach DeMeco Ryans highlighted by All-Pro cornerback Derek Stingley Jr., safety Jalen Pitre and pass rushers Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter. In Ryans’ two seasons with the Texans, the club has won two consecutive AFC South titles and has an emerging star quarterback in C.J. Stroud.

Gardner-Johnson has taken notice of Houston’s ascension in the AFC.

“I mean, you guys played a lot of good ball here, but I don’t think they understand what it means to win when it matters,” he said. “I’m not talking discredit to the team. I’m just saying I’ve been in a lot situations where, from Detroit to New Orleans to Philly, I’ve got to win when it matters and I’ve been in games where I had to step up.

“For me, championships means more to me than just winning a football game right now because I’m getting older. I’m playing with a lot of younger guys who understand like, yeah, the money’s here, but it’s more on when you can win and get a championship, you know?”

Gardner-Johnson will get an opportunity to prove that the Eagles made the wrong decision.

Philadelphia also lost several key players in free agency this offseason. Mekhi Becton, Josh Sweat and Milton Williams signed bigger deals elsewhere, while the Eagles prioritized giving contract extensions to running back Saquon Barkley, linebacker Zack Baun and offensive tackle Lane Johnson. Gardner-Johnson, an odd man out in Philly via trade rather than free agency, talked about the money element.

“It wasn’t about money,” Gardner-Johnson said. “If it was about money, everybody would have been gone. How can I say this the most respectful way? Saquon deserved it. Zack deserved it, but the reasons behind it, the fans don’t deserve that reason.

“It’s deeper than that. The fans don’t deserve, ‘It’s about the money,’ because if that was the case, my contract was safe.”

At the NFL’s Annual League Meeting in April, Roseman explained why Philly shipped CJGJ to Houston. The Eagles GM said that there had to be a balance between keeping and signing players in free agency and building throughout the draft. Gardner-Johnson did not fall in Philly’s long-term plans.

Gardner-Johnson’s tenure once again didn’t last beyond a season in his second stint with the Eagles, but now he’ll get a chance to pursue a Super Bowl with the Texans, who have yet to lift a Lombardi Trophy.