Lions’ C.J. Gardner-Johnson Airs Out Frustration Over Madden Rating (2024)

GettyDetroit Lions safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson expressed a frustration about his 2023 Madden player rating.

Madden player ratings aren’t just important to the NFL fans who play the video game. Just ask Detroit Lions safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson.

The 25-year-old expressed his frustration over the player rating the Madden video game gave him for the 2023. Gardner-Johnson also appeared to take exception to where his Madden rating ranked him among all NFL safeties.

Gardner-Johnson shared his dissatisfaction on Twitter.

“Really madden,” the safety posted with three laughing emojis in a quote tweet on July 17.

With 99 the best possible grade available, the Madden video game gave Gardner-Johnson a player rating of 84. That rating ranked him in a tie for 19th among NFL safeties.

C.J. Gardner-Johnson Coming off a Career Year

Los Angeles Chargers‘ Derwin James led all safeties with a 95 Madden player rating. Pittsburgh Steelers‘ Minkah Fitzpatrick was second at the position as the only other safety with at least a 93 rating.

Gardner-Johnson probably isn’t on the same level as those two safeties, but after his 2022 campaign, he arguably belongs on any list of top 10 safeties in the league.

The 25-year-old took the league by storm in October with 6 interceptions during a five-game stretch. That’s after he had never had more than 3 interceptions in any of his first three NFL seasons.

With his 6 picks, Gardner-Johnson finished tied for first in the NFL in interceptions. No defender had more interceptions than Gardner-Johnson despite the fact that he missed five games combined in December and January because of a lacerated kidney.

Fitzpatrick and Justin Simmons were the two other safeties besides Gardner-Johnson who recorded 6 interceptions in 2022. Madden ranked Simmons just behind Fitzpatrick with a player rating of 92.

Unlike Gardner-Johnson, both Fitzpatrick and Simmons had previously recorded multiple seasons with at least 4 picks. That could have been why Gardner-Johnson didn’t receive more of a bump in the Madden ratings.

But the difference of eight or nine points seems a bit large. Gardner-Johnson posted career highs in interceptions and combined tackles despite playing only 12 games last season.

Gardner-Johnson Never Shies Away From Expressing an Opinion

NFL fans shouldn’t be surprised with the Lions veteran safety tweeting his displeasure with his Madden rating. Generally, Gardner-Johnson isn’t going to be timid about sharing a thought.

On May 12, Gardner-Johnson called out one of his former New Orleans Saints teammates, wide receiver Michael Thomas, while appearing on FanDuel’s Up & Adams.

“He know what time it is,” Gardner-Johnson said to host Kay Adams in regards to Thomas. “And I’m not gonna say nothing about that. He know what time it is.”

Gardner-Johnson and Thomas were teammates in New Orleans for three years. In 2020,ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Thomas had an altercation with a teammate during practice. The altercation resulted in the Saints suspending Thomas for Week 5.

A follow-up report from NFL Network’s Thomas Pelissero revealed that Gardner-Johnson was that player, and that Thomas had punched the safety during practice.

The Lions and Saints will face each other during Week 13 of the 2023 NFL season, which was why Adams brought up the possibility of facing Thomas in the interview with Gardner-Johnson.

Then on July 3, the Lions safety clapped back at an NFL report that blamed the poor footing during this year’s Super Bowl on the players not wearing proper cleats.

“Man pre game I went through 3 different cleats,” Gardner-Johnson wrote on Twitter. “Even the studs wasn’t working.”

The safety also seemed to imply the field conditions impacted the outcome of the Super Bowl.

After those tweets, it may be a little surprising Gardner-Johnson wasn’t more vocal about his grievance with the Madden player ratings. But hopefully for the Lions, he takes out that frustration on the field this season.

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