NFL player poll: Eagles C.J. Gardner-Johnson earns unique distinction by landslide

Ryan OLeary

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NFL player poll: Eagles C.J. Gardner-Johnson earns unique distinction by landslide image

Wins have been tough to come by lately for the Philadelphia Eagles, but consider this one a W: Opposing NFL players can’t stand C.J. Gardner-Johnson.

In an anonymous player poll compiled by The Athletic, CJGJ was voted the NFL’s “most annoying player” by a landslide.

The Eagles safety earned 20.9% of the vote, with a pair of Las Vegas Raiders — defensive tackle Christian Wilkins (11.9%) and defensive end Maxx Crosby (7.5%) — rounding out the top three.

Eagles EDGE rusher Brandon Graham also made the list with 6% of the vote.

It’s worth mentioning that this was not a league-wide poll. It was conducted by The Athletic’s NFL beat writers, who asked 110 players the same set of questions. Those who participated were granted anonymity, and they were not required to answer every question. The Athletic released their findings on Wednesday.

Most annoying player in the NFL 

C.J. Gardner-Johnson20.9%
Christian Wilkins11.9%
Maxx Crosby7.5%
Brandon Graham6.0%
Jamal Adams4.5%
Travis Kelce4.5%

— Source: The Athletic – Anonymous player poll

Here was the site's writeup on this unique distinction for CJGJ:

Last season we asked players to name the biggest trash-talker. This year, we broadened the question to most annoying, leaving it to the players’ discretion to decide what qualified as annoying. Well, last year’s biggest trash-talker, Philadelphia Eagles defensive back C.J. Gardner-Johnson, took the crown again.

“Yap yap yap,” one player said of the sixth-year veteran.

Gardner-Johnson led the field with 14 votes. Second place went to Raiders defensive tackle Christian Wilkins (eight votes), who was described as “a different type of s— talker,” while his teammate Crosby came in third with five votes. This was the question most often skipped by players, with only 67 of the 110 we spoke to offering a response.

Gardner-Johnson likely wears this destination like a badge of honor. He’s known as one of the biggest trash talkers on the field, and he’s no stranger to posting up with reporters in the locker room postgame, or posting rants on social media, throughout the season.

CJGJ was even razzed by his own teammate, Darius Slay, for talking trash against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and failing to back it up after the Eagles got torched by Baker Mayfield once again.

Love him or hate him, it’s never a bad thing to have a player who gets under the opponent's skin. The Eagles appear to have one of the best in the NFL in their unapologetic veteran safety.

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Davante Adams trade rumors heat up: Should Philadelphia Eagles be in the mix?

Ryan OLeary

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Ryan O'Leary has spent his entire professional career in sports multimedia, working as journalist, editor, podcaster, and in live events as a content manager and show emcee. His career highlights include working as a podcast host and audio editor for USA TODAY Sports Media Group, where he led a series of NFL podcasts for the company’s top-performing NFL sites. A born and raised New Englander, Ryan’s career kicked-off in newspapers after graduating from the University of New Hampshire with a degree in journalism. He developed an affinity for small-town youth, high school and college sports, while also realizing his childhood dream of covering the Patriots in multiple AFC Championship Games. Ryan enjoys kicking it with family and friends, beating his dad and brother in chess, and arguing with anyone crazy enough to insist that Tom Brady isn’t the GOAT.