Eagles’ C.J. Gardner-Johnson gets Malcolm Jenkins’ seal of approval

C.J. Gardner-Johnson and Malcolm Jenkins used to play games within the game.

Whenever they faced the Buccaneers, the then-Saints defensive backs had a ground rule for containing quarterback Tom Brady and tight end Rob Gronkowski.

“We called it, ‘The Gold Jacket’ rule,” Gardner-Johnson said recently. “How many times did we let the ‘Gold Jacket’ guy beat us — Gronk or Brady? We knew going against high-caliber athletes, they’re held to a standard, so you got to play up to that standard or above.

“So the ‘Gold Jacket’ rule was: Be a Hall of Famer when you’re out there. Do everything the right way, do it for your team, and make sure you can impact the game in a positive way.”

Gardner-Johnson and Jenkins, on the surface, may not have appeared to have much in common when they became teammates three years ago. A decade apart in age, the former was an outwardly brash Floridian in only his second NFL season, while the latter was a serious-minded two-time Super Bowl champion returning to the team that drafted him.

But it didn’t take long for each to relate to the other and find commonalities aside from their distinctive abilities in football. Gardner-Johnson and Jenkins share Dec. 20 as a birthday, a fact both cited as one reason they were destined to foster a mentor-protégé relationship that was mutually beneficial.

“His energy was something that I fed off of,” Jenkins said in a separate interview. “We have the same birthday, so we think the same way where the game can get boring where we’re liable to make mistakes. And so, we would challenge each other.

“Every game, it was who would get the most tackles or who’s going to have the most production. And so, we would literally race to the ball between the plays. Who we played, it really didn’t matter. It was this mental game.”

If it wasn’t for Jenkins’ guidance, it’s possible that Howie Roseman wouldn’t have traded for Gardner-Johnson last month. The Eagles general manager reached out to his former safety prior to making the deal. He asked many questions, but he mostly wanted to know if the 24-year-old could fit into the team’s culture and whether he could handle playing in an Eagles-obsessed city.

Jenkins, who arrived in Philadelphia as a free agent without much fanfare, but eventually won over its constituents, gave Roseman the affirmative.

“Philly’s going to love him,” said Jenkins, who retired after 13 NFL seasons in March. “All the things that they love to see, somebody who’s going to fight, somebody who’s not afraid of anybody, plays the game hard, he’s going to check every single box.”

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When Gardner-Johnson found out he was headed to Jenkins’ old stomping grounds, he said his first call was to his former teammate. The circumstances surrounding their arrivals have differences, but with the same teams involved and Gardner-Johnson moving to Jenkins’ former position, the coincidences weren’t lost on either.

“I said to him, ‘I am following in your footsteps,’” Gardner-Johnson said. “It’s like an old book that’s being rewritten.”

The Eagles didn’t necessarily acquire Gardner-Johnson to replace Jenkins, who left a void when a contract dispute led to his departure. But they are getting a converted cornerback who has adopted many of Jenkins’ habits.

Gardner-Johnson, when asked, listed the most prominent he took from Jenkins: How he eats (he’s now a vegan), how he takes notes (he uses a version of shorthand), and how he studies film (a lot).

“And basically, how I carry myself on and off the field,” he said.

There are still defensive backs with the Eagles — cornerback Avonte Maddox and safety Marcus Epps — who cite Jenkins as a major influence in how they conduct themselves. His most lasting impact on the organization, and certainly during the 2017 title-winning season, may have been his leadership.

Jenkins gave to the Eagles for six seasons, but also to social causes in the community. He still lives part-time in the area, and through his foundation’s various initiatives provides resources, innovative opportunities, and experiences for youth in underserved parts of the Philly region.

Last Friday, he was in Camden for the “Get Ready Fast” event that offered food and other necessities to families in need, and later that day he was at Simon Gratz High School delivering a speech to students on the importance of mentors in the lives of young people.

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A day later, Gardner-Johnson reflected on how Jenkins, more than anything, taught him through various mind exercises — like their “Gold Jacket” competition — that no football player is an island and that being your best you can inspire others.

“He made me understand that it ain’t just about me anymore,” Gardner-Johnson said. “The moment you just try to single yourself out, you’re just not going to be good. You got to have some sort of support system.”

When Jenkins re-signed with the Saints in March 2020, Gardner-Johnson reached out almost immediately. He said he wanted to pick his new teammate’s brain and suggested they train together in New Orleans before spring workouts began.

Jenkins said he saw a talent worth taking under his wing, especially when they started practicing alongside each other at slot cornerback.

“I don’t defer to a lot of people when it comes to talent,” Jenkins said. “The nickel position is what I was best at until I got back to New Orleans. When I watched his abilities, it was like, ‘Oh, he’s gifted.’ ”

Gardner-Johnson had other veteran alphas as advisors and competitors, like cornerback Marshon Lattimore and safety Marcus Williams. But he said no one got in his head quite like Jenkins did.

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One moment, he said, still stood out. The Saints were warming up before their playoff game at Tampa and as Gardner-Johnson was stretching, Jenkins pulled off his headphones and whispered in his ear.

“He said, ‘Deuces, you know I’m better than you,’ ” said Gardner-Johnson, who wore No. 22 in New Orleans. “I’m like, ‘Hold on,’ because he had never came to me like that before. I was like, ‘Is he trying to make me mad? Is he trying to get under my skin?’

“But it was more so: We in the playoffs. We got to go.”

Gardner-Johnson said he played his best half of football even though the Saints lost to the Bucs, who would eventually win the Super Bowl.

“He didn’t say nothing to me the whole first half. We get in the locker room, I go up to him and I’m like, ‘... I’m better than you,’ ” Gardner-Johnson said. “The way we were playing, we were feeding off each other. You always have guys on the other side challenging you, but I had never had a teammate say that to me.

“It was a humbling experience.”

Maddox knows the feeling. He, too, adopted some of Jenkins’ routines, and said he noticed that Gardner-Johnson took similar notes during one of their first meetings together. He also experienced his tough love.

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“He was real tough,” Maddox said of Jenkins, “but at the end of the day, he would make sure you were right and make sure you get everything done. He wanted the best out of you.”

While Jenkins could often disguise his self-assertiveness, Gardner-Johnson was very much an in-your-face competitor in New Orleans. Despite their varying approaches, Jenkins said he embraced Gardner-Johnson’s abrasiveness — two Bears receivers were ejected from games during the 2020 season after altercations with the cornerback — and his authenticity.

“When you watched how opponents lost themselves, I loved it,” Jenkins said. “And he never got penalties, which is the best part about it. He never hurt the team. … That’s a special skill. I’m like, ‘I don’t want you to change for any coach. Be yourself, because that’s what got you here.’”

Jenkins acknowledged that Gardner-Johnson’s cocksure attitude may have overshadowed his ability or aptitude, but that anyone who underestimated his football IQ suffered the consequences.

“A lot of people judge him by his cover,” Jenkins said. “He’s got the dreadlocks, he’s brash, he’s in your face, and a lot of people think he’s not an intelligent player. But he learns at his own pace and he keeps a lot close to his vest.

“I think he uses that to his advantage. … That’s like his secret weapon.”

Gardner-Johnson said the trash talking was mostly a byproduct of his confidence. He doesn’t plan on changing, per se, but he’s looking to change how his game is viewed by outsiders.

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“They overlook me because of the talking,” he said. “That’s a narrative I’m trying to change. I think if I could change that for myself, I think I would be a three times better player. Not the narrative of how people think of me, but how I play the game, how I think and how I treat my teammates.”

The Eagles offer that opportunity. Gardner-Johnson, who is in a contract year, made it clear in New Orleans that he wanted an early extension. The Saints balked, though, and traded him to the Eagles along with a 2025 seventh-round draft pick for a 2023 fifth-rounder and a 2024 sixth.

He admitted that it rocked him coming so close to the start of the season. But he welcomed the move to safety, a position he predominantly played in college, and one that would conceivably increase his worth because he would be on the field more.

For Jenkins, who has knowledge of both teams, even if coaches, schemes and players have changed some, Gardner-Johnson’s switch to safety made perfect sense.

“This is where I’m glad the Eagles went and got him,” Jenkins said. “The Saints, I think, had a problem defining his position. But as someone who’s played many snaps in the slot, there are certain people who see the value in that, where you could plug him in anywhere and be fine.”

It took years for Jenkins to become one of the NFL’s most versatile safeties. Only Tyrann Mathieu, who essentially replaced him in New Orleans, played as many spots on defense. Gardner-Johnson should be, based upon his skill set and size, as adaptable, per Jenkins.

“There’s nobody he can’t match up with,” he said. “He’s big enough and quick enough to play against any body type. He’s savvy enough and physical enough to play at the line. If you need him similar to how I played linebacker he can do that.

“And he’s more than capable of playing deep, although I think that’s probably one of his weakest positions.”

Through two games, deep is where Gardner-Johnson has played the most, with 72 of his 128 snaps at free safety, according to Pro Football Focus. He also lined up in the box (37 snaps), at slot (18) and once on the line.

There will be a learning curve in Jonathan Gannon’s Cover-2-heavy defense, but there should be room for the coordinator to cater his scheme to Gardner-Johnson’s strengths once they become comfortable with each other.

Jenkins cautioned that it could take some for both sides. He recalled his first season with the Eagles when he sensed that some in the organization thought he was unhappy because he kept to himself, when he actually was mostly consumed by all the change. He said he wants Gardner-Johnson “to embrace the new.”

“The biggest thing for me is adjusting to something that I wasn’t used to,” Gardner-Johnson said. “It’s more family-oriented, a first-class organization. You’re not used to that with the past organization. I think I’m experiencing the same thing he experienced.

“Sometimes change is good.”

The change that involved Jenkins leaving after the 2019 season wasn’t necessarily good for the Eagles. He may have been aging, but the team struggled to replace his leadership, defensive end Brandon Graham noted recently, echoing what others have said in retrospect.

Jenkins, following the divorce, clearly referenced Roseman when he said, “those who make the decisions” didn’t value him enough. But he said he no longer harbors any resentment toward the Eagles.

“That relationship is still great. And I still talk to Howie from time to time,” Jenkins said last Friday before addressing a gym full of students at Gratz. “And same with the Saints. At one point I didn’t like how that ended, but time heals all.”

Jenkins, who has many business and charitable ventures, said he’s staying away from football for the time being. Even if he never returns to the Eagles in some capacity, he will someday be inducted into the team’s Hall of Fame.

Gardner-Johnson said he wants to build his own legacy here. When a reporter recently observed that he had Jenkins’ old locker stall at the NovaCare Complex — it’s actually the next one over — he joked, “Well, out with the old and in with the new.”

But it’s obvious the high regard Gardner-Johnson has for his mentor. He said he plans to hang an eraser board in his stall, just like Jenkins did, with weekly goals written for him, but also for any teammate that wanders by.

Individual greatness can still be achieved with team objectives at the forefront, Jenkins taught him. The Saints won more than they lost in those two seasons together. But who came out ahead in their side matches?

“Me, the majority of the time,” Gardner-Johnson said. “OK, he did beat me in the playoffs.”

Ultimately, it didn’t matter in the loss to the Gold Jackets.