The Chicago Bears needed some depth and experience in the secondary. With all the injuries and their postseason aspirations, making a run at a proven player like C.J. Gardner-Johnson seemed like a no-brainer at the time.
For better or worse, Gardner-Johnson had some history with defensive coordinator Dennis Allen. As such, he was a solid plug-and-play option looking to take his career back from the bottom. Now, after a handful of games in the Windy City, he might not return next season. At least, that's what we can take from his latest social media activity.
C.J. Gardner-Johnson Hints at Bears Exit on Social Media
The former Super Bowl champion took to X to say that he was "Too chill for the run around." While he didn't mention the Bears or any particular situation, it looks like the writing is on the wall, and he's also ready to move on.
Truth be told, this isn't much of a surprise. Just last week, Bears GM Ryan Poles opened up on the challenges the team will face because of their salary cap constraints, and he admitted they'll prioritize keeping Kevin Byard III in town:
“I have a lot of faith in our process that we’ll do that. Kevin’s a special player," Poles said, per the Chicago Sun-Times. "I have no problem saying that’s a player that we would like to have back. But, again, when you add the other safeties into that mix and all the other decisions we have across the roster, with cap restraints and things like that, it’ll be a challenge. But that’s part of what we do.”
More than that, it's not like Gardner-Johnson played lights out. His Pro Football Focus grade of 51.6 ranked 85th among 98 eligible players at the position, and the eye test wasn't much better. He logged 51 total tackles, five tackles for loss, five QB hits, four passes defensed, two picks, and one forced fumble.
While that's not too bad, given how little time he spent with the team, Gardner-Johnson has a long history of temper tantrums and turning into a bit of a headache in the locker room. For better or worse, that is part of his story. He's burned bridges with all of his previous teams, and he probably would've gone unsigned if it weren't for the Bears' desperation this season.
Chicago will have to figure out a way to keep Byard and Jaquan Brisker, and that leaves no money, need, or snaps left for Garnder-Johnson. He may have made his peace with that, and he didn't sound overly concerned by his imminent departure.