CJ Gardner-Johnson is no longer with the Buffalo Bills. The team announced on Tuesday that he has been released. What could sure a move have cost the Bills?
Gardner-Johnson was suspended by the NFL following his ejection from the team's 33-30 winagainst the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 6. He served that in Week 8 when Buffalo hosted the Baltimore Ravens and won 36-10.
The safety was tossed from the game in the first half against Las Vegas. During some back-and-forth with members of the Raiders offense, it appeared in the midst of that, Gardner-Johnson had spit toward the group in Silver and Black.
That decision by the NFL is not all that surprising as the moment was caught on camera so Gardner-Johnson did not have much of a leg to stand on.
In the
wake of Gardner-Johnson's actions, he has been let go by the team.
But as they say, the NFL is a business. What would it cost the Bills if they decided to cut Gardner-Johnson? Gardner-Johnson signed a one-year, $3.5 million contract with the Bills which included another $2.5M in incentives.
According to Spotrac, it would not help the team against the salary cap despite the contract having incentives that would not be met by being released. That relates to something most overlook in this situation: The cost of replacement:
It would actually be a loss to cut him right now. There's $275,000 to be freed up by a CJGJ release, and adding a minimum salary replacement player for 12 more weeks would cost $590,000.
— Spotrac (@spotrac) October 19, 2026
According to Over The Cap, Gardner-Johnson already has two void years on his contract over the next two years. Those cost the team $1M and $500K, respectively.
Bills Wire will continue to provide updates throughout the 2026 NFL season.
This article originally appeared on Bills Wire: What has it cost the Bills to release CJ Gardner-Johnson?
