Gardner-Johnson signed a one-year deal with Buffalo in March
Nov 3, 2026
at 5:04 pm ET
•
1 min read
The Buffalo Bills have released veteran safety CJ Gardner-Johnson, the team announced Tuesday. This separation comes after Gardner-Johnson’s return from a one-game suspension he served in Week 8 due to a spitting incident that occurred in Week 6 against the Las Vegas Raiders.
Gardner-Johnson, who signed a one-year deal worth $6 million with Buffalo in March, was seen by the NFL on CBS cameras spitting in the direction of Raiders tight end Brock Bowers and center Tyler Linderbaum. That led to him being flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct and ejected from the game.
That also led to the NFL handing the 28-year-old a one-game suspension, which he served in last Sunday’s win over Baltimore following Buffalo’s Week 7 loss.
While this incident likely didn’t help his case to stay on the team, ESPN reported that this exit had more to do with his inconsistent play in the secondary. Specifically, the report noted that the organization felt there was too much “what the hell is he doing” at play. In six games played this season, Gardner-Johnson has allowed a 64.7% completion rate and 83.5 passer rating against.
Last week, Damar Hamlin started in place of Gardner-Johnson, and he should be viewed as the favorite to take over that spot in the future. In the win against Baltimore, Hamlin totaled five tackles and a pass defensed.
The Florida product entered the NFL as a fourth-round draft choice of the New Orleans Saints in 2019. He spent his first three seasons of his career with the franchise before being traded to the Philadelphia Eagles in the summer of 2022. Gardner-Johnson has since bounced around the league, making stops with the Lions, Texans, Ravens offseasons, and Bears.