Jeff Duncan: The Saints’ trade of C.J. Gardner-Johnson is not personal, it’s just business

Dennis Allen said something Monday that proved prescient today: The NFL is a great game but a tough business.

“You understand you have moves that you have to make, it’s part of our league and it’s part of the business of pro football,” said Allen, the Saints’ first-year head coach. “And you have to be able to separate the business and the personal. And none of it’s personal. It’s just part of the business.”

Less than 12 hours later, those words resonated as news broke that the Saints had dealt C.J. Gardner-Johnson to the Philadelphia Eagles.

The news might have shocked many Saints fans but it was no surprise to people close to the team. I’d heard whispers that the Saints were considering trading Gardner-Johnson after contract extension talks broke down between the sides earlier this month. Gardner-Johnson miffed some team officials with his asking price and exacerbated the situation by “holding in” at training camp and skipping practices.

During one practice shortly after Gardner-Johnson returned to workouts, he came up limping after a collision in the end zone during 7-on-7 drills and barked to the team’s trainers, “See, this is what you all wanted!’ The reference presumably being about his uncertain contract status and lack of long-term security.

Gardner-Johnson a.k.a. CJGJ a.k.a. Ceedy Duce was one of the most popular players on the Saints roster. He made an almost instant impact on the defense since arriving in New Orleans in 2019 as a relatively unheralded fourth-round draft pick from Florida.

Saints fans loved Gardner-Johnson’s infectious enthusiasm, relentless energy and fearless in-game trolling of opponents, among them Tom Brady.

Gardner-Johnson also proved to be a valuable chess piece in Allen’s top-ranked defense. Serving as the fifth starting defensive back and most aligned in the slot, he was adept at defending the run while also capable of covering receivers and tight ends. He had a nose for the ball and knack for making big plays, with 15 tackles for loss, five interceptions and three sacks.

But there were also times when he was exploited, as Brady and Chris Godwin did for the majority of their eight connections for 140 yards and a touchdown in the first matchup between the teams in New Orleans last season.

Gardner-Johnson remains a good player in the prime of his career, and those guys rarely get traded in the NFL. But the Saints are one of the rare teams that has the luxury to do so.

The Saints’ secondary might be the deepest, most talented position group on the roster. Bradley Roby, P.J. Williams, Alontae Taylor and Justin Evans are all capable of playing Gardner-Johnson’s big nickel role and have done so at times throughout the preseason.

Saints general manager Mickey Loomis said during the preseason broadcast of the team’s preseason game against the Chargers on Friday that the impressive play of veterans like Evans and Daniel Sorenson is making them rethink how many safeties they keep on the final active roster.

The trade of Gardner-Johnson makes those decisions easier and alleviates the logjam.

Gardner-Johnson’s deal also continues a trend.

The Saints do not value the safety position compared to other positions like cornerback and defensive end.

In 2014, they let Malcolm Jenkins leave in free agency for a three-year, $15 million deal with the Philadelphia Eagles.

This past offseason, Marcus Williams, another high draft pick by the club, signed a five-year, $70 million free agent deal with the Baltimore Ravens.

Gardner-Johnson is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent next spring and was seeking a deal that averaged $12 million a year, about $4 million a year more than the Saints were offering, according to a source familiar with the situation. That was too rich for the Saints, who already own one of the league’s most cash-strapped rosters beyond this season. The Saints are projected to be $61 million over the salary cap next season, the second highest figure in the league. And that doesn’t factor in lucrative extensions they’d like complete with defensive end Marcus Davenport and center Erik McCoy.

Considering the value the Saints place on linemen and their depth in the defensive backfield, it’s understandable why they viewed Gardner-Johnson as expendable.

It’s a numbers game, and the Saints brain trust clearly figured it was better to move Gardner-Johnson now and get something for him rather than wait and lose him for nothing on the open market next spring.

As Allen said, it’s not personal. It’s just business.