The Chicago Bears take on the Philadelphia Eagles in their Week 13 Black Friday matchup. And while the Bears chase their ninth win of the season, there’s an interesting subplot brewing. C.J. Gardner-Johnson is heading back to Philly. But only this time, he’ll be on the other sideline.

Naturally, that sets up the big question: how does the veteran safety feel about returning to the place where he made some of his biggest plays? Well, Gardner-Johnson isn’t feeding the storyline at all. In fact, he pretty much downplayed the whole thing.

“I got shipped off, so it didn’t last good, it didn’t last too long, if that makes sense,” the 27-year-old said. “I am just here. Everyone wanted to come out and get out of my body for this weekend. But to be honest with you, I am ready to play football. I mean, the past is the past. That Super Bowl championship; that’s last year. It’s new season. It’s time to move on.”

Gardner-Johnson was moved out of Philly after just one season there, where he lifted his first Lombardi. Since then, he’s bounced around a bit. He spent three weeks with the Houston Texans and recorded 15 combined Tackles before Houston cut him off. He then landed on the Baltimore Ravens‘ practice squad, only to be released a week later.

The Bears eventually picked him up after he’d spent a couple of months as a free agent, and the move reunited him with two familiar faces: defensive coordinator Dennis Allen, who coached him in New Orleans, and Ben Johnson, whom he worked with during his time in Detroit.

“Coach ‘DA’ gave me a chance when I was a rookie in 2019, and I played with coach Ben in Detroit,” he said. “Talking to them on the phone and hearing how much they care about me and understanding as a player that they care for me, it felt like the right spot for me.”

And while his stints in Houston and Baltimore never really took off, Chicago might finally be the landing spot that sticks. After all, the Bears brought in Gardner-Johnson for a reason: their secondary has been hurting without top corners Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon, both on IR with groin-related injuries. And since arriving, Gardner-Johnson has stepped in fast, playing four games and putting up 3.0 sacks and 20 combined tackles.

Fast forward to now, and with the Bears gearing up to face the Eagles, he’s already shut down any talk about an emotional Philly reunion or a potential return down the line. But on the other side, Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni doesn’t exactly see it the same way.

Nick Sirianni misses C.J. Gardner-Johnson

As the Eagles get ready for their Black Friday matchup against the Bears, Nick Sirianni touched on a bit of everything. He talked about his confidence in Saquon Barkley, emphasized Jalen Hurts’ responsibility to protect the ball against Chicago’s defense, and, of course, weighed in on how he feels about seeing his former safety, C.J. Gardner-Johnson, on the opposite sideline.

“I love C.J. [Gardner-Johnson]. We’ve had some great times together,” Philly’s head coach said. “Been to one Super Bowl together, won another one together. I always loved the emotion that he played with, and how he went about his business. So, miss him — I miss him, and he’s playing good football.”

During his lone season in Philly, Gardner-Johnson started every game he played. He piled up 59 tackles, snagged six interceptions, and helped Sirianni’s squad reach the Super Bowl. Now the two sides meet again, but on opposite ends. Sirianni knows the Bears lead the league in takeaways, and Gardner-Johnson knows the Eagles rank No. 1 in ball security. How will his return to Philly play out? Well, that’s the part we’re all waiting to see.