C.J. Gardner-Johnson’s Agency, Universal Sports Management, Angrily Tweets Out Contract Talk Info – NBC10 Philadelphia

Angry tweet from Gardner-Johnson’s agency is a bad look originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

News broke late Sunday evening that safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson is signing a one-year deal with the Lions after his one season in Philadelphia. Gardner-Johnson was reportedly talking with the Eagles about returning to Philly after reaching the Super Bowl with the Birds, but the two sides couldn’t make it work.

A number of Eagles fans will definitely be bummed with the news, because he quickly became a fan favorite with his bountiful interceptions and electric personality. But sometimes it just doesn’t work out. No need to get worked up.

That is, unless you’re the agency representing Gardner-Johnson, apparently.

Just after 11:30 p.m. on Sunday evening, Gardner-Johnson’s agency Universal Sports Management took to the agency’s official Twitter account to fire this grouchy missive out into the ether:

An agency taking to social media to publicly share contract negotiation details in order to save face on a paltry deal? That’s… weird behavior!

NBC Sports Philadelphia’s Reuben Frank reported Sunday evening that Gardner-Johnson was offered a multi-year deal early in free agency but it apparently wasn’t up to the safety’s standards:

Whether that first deal was the three-year, $24 million backloaded deal the agency mentioned or a different deal is unclear. What is clear: Gardner-Johnson’s representation misplayed the safety’s hand and cost him a chance at running it back on a multi-year deal with a Super Bowl contender. 

And look: negotiations go on behind closed doors, so it’s hard for fans to ever say with certainty whether one side did a bad job, got raked over the coals, fumbled a bag, etc. That’s the game. Sometimes the public perception won’t line up with reality, and you have to just keep it pushing.

But choosing to publicly share confidentially-negotiated terms? That’s just an abysmal decision, and likely won’t have players lining up to sign with Universal Sports Management in the near future. 

Weird.