Falcon Report

Saints Trade DB Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, Won't Play Week 1 vs. Falcons

A bit of a surprise.

Jeremy Brener

Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
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The Atlanta Falcons might have a slightly easier time trying to beat the New Orleans Saints in the season opener 12 days from now.

That's because the Saints traded talented safety Chauncey Gardner-Johnson to the Philadelphia Eagles Tuesday. NFL Network was the first to report the news.

In the deal, the Saints will send Gardner-Johnson and a 7th-round pick in 2025 to the Eagles for a 5th-round pick in 2023 and the worst of Philadelphia's two sixth-round picks in 2024.

Gardner-Johnson started 14 games in a talented Saints secondary for the past two seasons and was due for a contract extension next offseason, but after the two sides couldn't come to an agreement, it propelled New Orleans to seek some kind of return for a player who was going to walk in free agency for nothing.

Last season, Gardner-Johnson played in 12 games, recording 46 tackles, a pair of sacks and three interceptions for the Saints. Now, he heads out to the City of Brotherly Love to join Darius Slay and James Bradberry in a formidable Philadelphia secondary.

With the Saints facing the Falcons in the Week 1 opener, Gardner-Johnson won't be part of the scouting report for Atlanta, which is a small relief for head coach Arthur Smith and the offense. But despite the trade, the Falcons know they still have a tall task as they face their biggest rival to kick off the season.

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Jeremy Brener
JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.

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