C.J. Gardner-Johnson Makes Honest Admission About Texans Super Bowl Chances originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
Shortly after being traded by the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles in March, C.J. Gardner-Johnson made headlines saying he felt “highly disrespected” his former team let him go.
Wednesday, the Houston Texans veteran safety made it clear he’s putting that behind him. “That’s the past,” Johnson told reporters following practice. “The more I sit and think about what happened, what happened, what happened, I would never be the best version of myself for this team here.”
In six seasons with the New Orleans Saints, Eagles and Detroit Lions, Johnson totaled 18 interceptions and 51 passes defended. Last season, he compiled 59 tackles, six picks and 12 passes defended to pace the Eagles Super Bowl-winning secondary.
As he prepares to begin his seventh season in the league, Johnson believes he’s in the right place to win another Super Bowl ring.
“I’ve been on a lot of good Super Bowl contending teams, I’ve been on one Super Bowl winning team,” Johnson said. “This [Houston Texans] is a Super Bowl team right here. Super Bowl caliber team.”
Seven days into the start of training camp, Johnson been impressed by the Texans new-look offense under coordinator Nick Caley. In particular, the speedy wide receivers unit he’s facing in practice every day.
“It’s like the Daytona 500,” safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson said. “We’re running fast every play. Everybody fast. All the cars are competing for first place. We’ve got a fast receiver corps. I’m going to be honest, it’s probably one of the fastest corps I’ve ever seen. But they’re a dynamic group with different skill sets. They’re diverse.”
Johnson and Texans take their first step towards the NFL’s biggest prize when they open preseason play at the Minnesota Viking on Saturday, August 9.
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This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 31, 2025, where it first appeared.