Buffalo Bills Release Safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson After Spitting Incident

The Buffalo Bills cut Super Bowl champion safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson on Tuesday. The move follows his suspension for spitting at an opponent. It is a swift end to a brief tenure in Buffalo.

His final moment in a Bills uniform arrived during the first half of their Week 6 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders. Just before halftime, the 28-year-old spat at center Tyler Linderbaum and tight end Brock Bowers. Officials ejected him from the game immediately.

The team had a bye week in Week 7. Gardner-Johnson served his suspension during that break. The Bills won their Week 8 matchup against the Baltimore Ravens 36-10 without him. Head coach Joe Brady initially told reporters that Gardner-Johnson would return to the starting lineup for Week 9. That plan vanished quickly. He is no longer on the roster, let alone in the starting position.

Brady spoke candidly about the incident a couple of weeks ago. "It’s hard enough to win enough in this league with 48 guys, much less 47," he said. "He knows that that can’t happen, it’s inexcusable, that’s not the standard that we’re going to have and play with. He’s addressed it, it’s been addressed." The coach emphasized that such behavior cannot occur on a football field. The team aims to toe the line but refuses to cross it.

In six games this season, all of them starts, Gardner-Johnson recorded 26 tackles and one interception. The Bills used his roster spot to sign defensive back Te'Cory Couch to the active roster on Oct. 31.

This marks the sixth team in Gardner-Johnson's eight-year career. He won a Super Bowl with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2024, starting all four games in their playoff run. His career stats include 396 tackles, seven sacks, and 21 interceptions across 93 games.