C.J. Gardner Johnson’s contract even better for the Lions than we thought

A one-year deal for C.J. Gardner-Johnson was already a steal for the Detroit Lions, but the details of the contract look even better.

As the first full week of NFL free agency wound down, the Detroit Lions swooped in and signed safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson to a one-year, $8 million deal with $6.5 million fully guaranteed. It was a steal of a deal to get Gardner-Johnson, who stood as the top defensive free agent available, as the Lions have remodeled their secondary.

Now, naturally, the details of Gardner-Johnson’s contract have come out.

Via Over The Cap, it’s actually a one-year, fully guaranteed, $6.5 million lay out for Gardner-Johnson. He got a $4 million signing bonus, and his cap number for this year is $4.5 million with a $2.5 million fully guaranteed base salary. A void year has been tacked on to spread the cap hit of the signing bonus out, $2 million this year and $2 million in 2024.

C.J. Gardner-Johnson’s contract confirmed as an outright steal for the Lions

The gap between the $6.5 million and the reported full freight of $8 million is likely accounted for by incentives. On that front, for as well as he has played, it’s worth noting Gardner-Johnson has missed five games in each of the last two seasons. That perceived injury risk seems to have notably supressed his free agent market, as if he’s so much more of an injury risk than any other player. If he hits whatever incentives, for all or part of that $1.5 million, that money will be added to next year’s cap hit.

If you label Gardner-Johnson as a cornerback, his $4.5 million 2023 cap hit ranks 35th at the position (via Spotrac).

A one-year deal is naturally a prove-it deal for someone of Gardner-Johnson’s ilk and age (25). He was easily tabbed as a great fit for the Lions all along, due to ties to the coaching staff from his time with the Saints (Aaron Glenn) and the team’s need for help in the secondary. So it’s a mutually beneficial situation, and Gardner-Johnson could establish himself as a long-term cornerstone of the Lions’ secondary.