C.J. Gardner-Johnson got himself ejected. Late in the first half of a 33-30 Bills win over the Raiders on October 18, he exchanged words with Brock Bowers until the confrontation escalated. One former teammate believes that moment could have cost Buffalo the game. The Bills survived it, but that doesn’t take anything away from what transpired.
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A video appeared to show the safety spitting in Bowers’ direction, with Raiders center Tyler Linderbaum also nearby. Officials did not leave the reason for the ejection open to interpretation for long. Now, his former teammate has opened up about his similar acts.
“I done seen some dirty s–t, right?” former Saints WR Jarvis Landry said in conversation with Leonard Fournette on their October 19 podcast. “I played with C.J. Gardner-Johnson when I went out to New Orleans. And outside of the heat, that was the most aggravating thing; it was C.J. Gardner-Johnson, bro. He talked so much s–t, bro. Cash, money.”
Fournette also made his feelings clear when he spoke about being spat on, saying it could push someone to respond physically.
“Spitting on somebody is like slapping them,” Fournette said. ” You spit on somebody, you damn near saying, ‘Okay, I’m ready to die.’ Cause you spit on me- I’m bringing you closer to God than you expect.”
Fournette had his own run-in with Gardner-Johnson during his time in Tampa Bay. He remembered playing against the safety while the Buccaneers wore their red jerseys, with Gardner-Johnson talking throughout the game until Fournette was close to losing his patience.
“I’m like, ‘Bi–h, shut up, bro,” Fournette also added. “Like, he don’t stop. But also, listen, I’m not gonna take away that he’s a great a– player. But what you did, lil’ bro, is uncalled for; it’s unprofessional. And might have cost them the game.”
In the heat of an NFL game, an act like that can turn a verbal exchange into something much worse within seconds.
Referee Shawn Smith told pool reporter Case Keefer that umpire Tra Blake had witnessed Gardner-Johnson spit on an opponent. Smith said the crew did not need to determine precisely where the spit landed. The act itself was enough to disqualify Gardner-Johnson.
Gardner-Johnson’s ejection came at a bad time for Buffalo. The Bills were ahead 13-10 with 19 seconds remaining in the half, but Las Vegas kicked a field goal before the break to make it a tie game. Soon, the game was tied before halftime.
Buffalo then had to play the second half without one of its starting defensive backs. The Bills won by three, leaving little room for a teammate to put them in that position in the first place.
Gardner-Johnson didn’t address the allegation directly when reporters spoke to him after the game. He did admit that he had let his temper take over and put Buffalo in a difficult spot.
“I’ve got to be a better player, I’ve got to be a better vet,” he said, adding that he needed to do a better job of keeping his emotions in check.
This was not the first time Gardner-Johnson had been sent off. He was ejected from Philadelphia’s December 2024 game against Washington after picking up two unsportsmanlike-conduct penalties.
Trash talk has long been part of his game, but it has also landed him in trouble.
He picked off six passes for Philadelphia in 2022, the most in the NFL that season, and later helped the Eagles win Super Bowl LIX. Buffalo is now the sixth team of his career, following stops in New Orleans, Detroit, Houston, Chicago, and Philadelphia.
Gardner-Johnson’s aggression is part of what makes him effective, and it has helped keep him in demand around the league. But the penalties are becoming hard to ignore.
This year, his count is at two already for 20 penalty yards, as per NFL penalties.
When his temper costs the defense a player or puts him in line for another suspension, the trash talk stops being an advantage and starts hurting his team. Especially since the league has handed out more than an ejection for similar incidents.
Jalen Carter was tossed from Philadelphia’s season opener against Dallas in 2025 after spitting at Dak Prescott. Ja’Marr Chase received a one-game suspension without pay that season after spitting on Pittsburgh’s Jalen Ramsey.
C.J. Gardner-Johnson said he knew the NFL could take further action. By October 19, no additional penalty has been issued. The league could still issue a fine or suspension, as it did in those earlier cases.