NFL C.J. Gardner-Johnson's agency angrily tweets out contract talk info
Angry tweet from Gardner-Johnson's agency is a bad look originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
News broke late Sunday evening that safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson is signing a one-year deal with the Lions after his one season in Philadelphia. Gardner-Johnson was reportedly talking with the Eagles about returning to Philly after reaching the Super Bowl with the Birds, but the two sides couldn't make it work.
A number of Eagles fans will definitely be bummed with the news, because he quickly became a fan favorite with his bountiful interceptions and electric personality. But sometimes it just doesn't work out. No need to get worked up.
That is, unless you're the agency representing Gardner-Johnson, apparently.
MORE: C.J. Gardner-Johnson heading to Detroit Lions in free agency
Just after 11:30 p.m. on Sunday evening, Gardner-Johnson's agency Universal Sports Management took to the agency's official Twitter account to fire this grouchy missive out into the ether:
An agency taking to social media to publicly share contract negotiation details in order to save face on a paltry deal? That's... weird behavior!
NBC Sports Philadelphia's Reuben Frank reported Sunday evening that Gardner-Johnson was offered a multi-year deal early in free agency but it apparently wasn't up to the safety's standards:
I'm told the Eagles did indeed make an offer at the start of free agency, but it wasn't what C.J. wanted, and he turned it down, and by the time he realized he had misjudged the market, the Eagles had moved onto other priorities. So he signed for less with Detroit.
— Reuben Frank (@RoobNBCS) March 20, 2023
Whether that first deal was the three-year, $24 million backloaded deal the agency mentioned or a different deal is unclear. What is clear: Gardner-Johnson's representation misplayed the safety's hand and cost him a chance at running it back on a multi-year deal with a Super Bowl contender.
And look: negotiations go on behind closed doors, so it's hard for fans to ever say with certainty whether one side did a bad job, got raked over the coals, fumbled a bag, etc. That's the game. Sometimes the public perception won't line up with reality, and you have to just keep it pushing.
But choosing to publicly share confidentially-negotiated terms? That's just an abysmal decision, and likely won't have players lining up to sign with Universal Sports Management in the near future.
Weird.
