Eagles Send Safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson to Texans for Guard, Draft Pick

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In the wake of their Super Bowl championship, the Philadelphia Eagles appear set to shake up their secondary.
The Eagles are trading safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson and a 2026 sixth-round draft pick to the Houston Texans for guard Kenyon Green and a 2026 fifth-round draft pick, according to a Tuesday morning report from Ian Rapoport of ESPN.
Gardner-Johnson, 27, intercepted six passes in 2024—tying for the third-most in the NFL in that category. He also picked off six passes in 2022, leading the league.
His 16 starts in '24 were a career high as he became a critical cog in Philadelphia's championship-winning defense.
Trade! The #Eagles are sending standout S CJ Gardner-Johnson to the #Texans for first-round G Kenyon Green, per me and @MikeGarafolo. It’s a Green and a 2026 5th for CJGJ and a 2026 6th.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 11, 2025
Another intriguing piece to the Houston back end, while Philly adds OL depth. pic.twitter.com/p8xJu02xOm
Green, on the other hand, has struggled since the Texans picked him 15th in 2022's draft. A poor rookie year gave way to a shoulder injury that cost him the 2023 season; he did manage to start nine games for Houston in '24.
The Texans have made the playoffs in back-to-back seasons, the first time that's happened since 2018 to '19. Now, they appear to have spotted an opportunity to field an even better defense next year.
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Patrick Andres is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He joined SI in December 2022, having worked for The Blade, Athlon Sports, Fear the Sword and Diamond Digest. Andres has covered everything from zero-attendance Big Ten basketball to a seven-overtime college football game. He is a graduate of Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism with a double major in history .