METAIRIE, La. — The Saints traded CJ Gardner-Johnson to the Eagles and get a fifth and sixth round selection in return and give up a future seventh round choice.
It’s not a huge return and honestly that tells you a few things. The Saints felt this trade had to be made and it had to be made now because the value you’re getting isn’t what you’d expect for a guy who has been a starter for this team and who has played very well for this team.
Of course, Gardner-Johnson had the infamous “hold-in” and we saw him doing stuff at practice that looked like sulking multiple times and our Saints analyst Nick Underhill reported that sources told him that he wasn’t taking coaching the same way.
This was clearly a move the Saints decided had to be done. Gardner-Johnson was going in to the last year in his contract and the Saints had made the decision that they were not going to give him the big extension that he wanted, so the simple theory is that you get something for him now rather than nothing later.
The one positive for the Saints is this may be their deepest position. Bradley Roby is obviously an addition who can step right in and play and the long term answer may be Alontae Taylor, the rookie they’re very high on. The Saints do have guys who can cover that spot.
It is curious that they made the trade and didn’t get the value a lot of people would expect but that tells you that they felt they had to make this trade now.