C.J. Gardner-Johnson takes unprovoked shot at Buccaneers

C.J. Gardner-Johnson has made himself an enemy of the Bucs fandom throughout his career. As a member of the New Orleans Saints, he was a key figure in the rivalry and frequently trash talked Tom Brady and other Buccaneers players.

With the Detroit Lions, he took countless shots at Baker Mayfield. After intercepting him during their 2024 playoff matchup, Gardner-Johnson taunted Mayfield by handing him the ball and pouring salt in the wound in a postgame Instagram live. 

Last season, the two faced off again. This time, Mayfield got the last laugh, running through Gardner-Johnson on a crucial fourth-down scramble en route to a game-winning drive for the Bucs over the Texans.

Now, in the middle of the offseason, Gardner-Johnson hopped on social media to take an unprovoked shot at the Buccaneers.

C.J. Gardner-Johnson throws shade at Tampa Bay Buccaneers on social media

On Easter Sunday, Gardner-Johnson apparently spent his holiday thinking about Tom Brady and the Buccaneers.

“Let’s not forget Tom Brady saved the bucs….. we all know,” he shared on X.

The unprompted comment doesn’t land the way Gardner-Johnson probably hoped.

Brady absolutely did “save” the Buccaneers. He joined a team that hadn’t won a playoff game in over a decade and immediately led them to a Super Bowl title. Let's not forget that the Super Bowl run also included a playoff win over Gardner-Johnson’s Saints in their own stadium.

Regardless, it’s still a strange post for a player who hasn’t been in the NFC South since 2021. After signing with the Buffalo Bills this offseason, Gardner-Johnson is now on his fourth team since leaving New Orleans as he struggles to find a team willing to commit to him long-term. 

Tampa Bay and Buffalo don’t even face off next season, which makes the timing even more puzzling. Maybe he was watching film of Mayfield humiliating him last year. Or rewatching Mike Evans torch him for a touchdown in 2024 and embarrassing himself after talking trash pregame.

Maybe he went even further back in the archives and watched himself get brutally stiff-armed by Chris Godwin back in 2021.

Honestly, with this context in mind it’s not hard to see why Gardner-Johnson always has Tampa Bay on his mind.

But reminding Buccaneers fans that Tom Brady chose their franchise, and delivered the greatest era in team history, isn’t the burn he thinks it is.

Thanks for bringing back the memories, Chauncey.