We've already seen a whole bunch of trades before the NFL free agency period officially begins and it looks like we have to add one more involving two of the hottest teams in football.
On Tuesday morning, NFL insiders Adam Schefter and DJ Bien-Aime reported that the Philadelphia Eagles are trading star safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson and a 2026 sixth-round pick to the Houston Texans. In return, the Eagles will receive offensive guard Kenyon Green and a 2026 fifth-round pick.
"Breaking: The Texans are acquiring safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson and a 2026 sixth-round pick from the Eagles in exchange for Kenyon Green and a 2026 fifth-round pick, sources tell @AdamSchefter and @Djbienaime," ESPN announced on X.
Breaking: The Texans are acquiring safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson and a 2026 sixth-round pick from the Eagles in exchange for Kenyon Green and a 2026 fifth-round pick, sources tell @AdamSchefter and @Djbienaime. pic.twitter.com/GvnTXetLh2
— ESPN (@espn) March 11, 2025
Gardner-Johnson is coming off his sixth NFL season and second with the Eagles. He began his career with the Saints but was traded to Philly in 2022, where he started 12 games, led the league in interceptions and enjoyed 67 tackles that season as the Eagles reached the Super Bowl. After spending 2023 in Detroit, he returned to Philly in 2024 and won his first Super Bowl with them.
Green is coming off his third year in the NFL but has been limited to just 27 games due to injuries. He has started 23 of 27 career games.
At 27 years of age, Gardner-Johnson is still in his prime, while Green is a player who offers upside but still has some proving to do.
The Eagles are at a point where their roster is already built so well that there isn't much the team can even do to greatly improve it that much. They have no discernible weaknesses even with the players they're losing in free agency.
As for the Texans, they're still a young team that have made it to the playoffs two years in a row now with the coaching of DeMeco Ryans and the arm of CJ Stroud. Adding a player like Gardner-Johnson gives them some much-needed veteran leadership in the secondary plus a bonafide ball-hawk who can get them turnovers in bunches.
Who do you think will benefit the most from this trade?
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