The Buffalo Bills released safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson on Tuesday, NFL insider Jordan Schultz reports.
The move follows a one-game suspension stemming from Gardner-Johnson's "spitting incident." He spit in the direction of Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers in their Oct. 18 matchup, which appears to have been the final straw for Buffalo.
Now, the Bills need a replacement at safety. That's interesting timing with the Nov. 10 trade deadline approaching, especially since the Arizona Cardinals have been thrown around as a potential trade suitor.
Cardinals should explore a Budda Baker trade with Bills
Just last week, Bleacher Report's Alex Kay proposed a trade that sent star safety Budda Baker to the Bills for a 2027 third-round pick. Kay pitched it as an upgrade for Buffalo to land a player of Baker's caliber, which makes sense since Gardner-Johnson wasn't nearly as productive during his tenure with the Bills as he was at other stops around the league. But now that Gardner-Johnson is out of the picture entirely in Buffalo, it only makes more sense for them to target Baker in a trade.
Josh Allen predictably continues to play at an MVP level, leading the Bills to a 6-1 start. However, that regular season success hasn't fully translated yet in the postseason, with not only Allen but the Bills franchise as a whole still looking for that first ring. The Bills have fallen short in all four of their Super Bowl appearances. Who knows, maybe a trade for Baker to fill that glaring hole at safety could be just the piece to keep them from coming up short again.
Defense is the obvious question mark in their playoff chances, since you don't have to worry about Allen and the offense producing. So far, Buffalo's defense is surrendering 25.9 points per game, ranked 24th. The Cardinals are dead last at 29.8 points per game, which makes you wonder how bad things would look in Arizona after this hypothetical trade.
It's harder to see them part ways with a franchise icon like Baker than someone like Josh Sweat, who reportedly told the Cardinals he was open to a trade, according to NFL insider Jordan Schultz. Baker is like Devin Booker when it comes to Valley sports -- that rare loyal star willing to stick things out for better or worse. While that's an admirable quality in stars and makes Arizona lucky to have them, it still may not be in the Cardinals' best long-term interest to keep Baker much longer.
The new era under first-year head coach Mike LaFleur is off to a strong start. Just like they should explore trading veteran edge rusher Sweat for future assets, they should also at least see what the market is for Baker. Specifically, they should call the Bills to see whether a deal makes more sense now that they've officially moved on from Gardner-Johnson.
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