The Houston Texans pulled off one of the more surprising trades of the offseason on Tuesday when they sent offensive lineman Kenyon Green to the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for CJ Gardner-Johnson. Green had been one of the most disappointing first-round picks in recent years, and Gardner-Johnson was coming off one of his productive seasons as a pro, which culminated in lifting the Lombardi Trophy.
Houston had to send a fifth-round pick along with Green to get CJGJ and a sixth-round pick back. That wasn't everything the Texans had to do to get this deal to the finish line. Per NFL insider Aaron Wilson, the Texans also agreed to pay $1.5 million of Green's $2.88 million guaranteed salary for 2025.
Traded to #Eagles this represents a fresh start for former #Texans first-round pick Kenyon Green. Texans will pay $1.5 million of Green's $2.88 million guaranteed salary for 2025, the final year of his $15.953 million rookie contract, per league sources @KPRC2
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) March 11, 2025
Texans Agreed to Pay Over Half of Kenyon Green's 2025 Salary
GM Nick Caserio being willing to pay over half of Green's salary for next season shows how desperate the Texans were to get this deal done. Houston, as a team with Super Bowl aspirations, agreeing to pay $1.5 million for a player to play on another contender, highlights their willingness to move on from Green.
It also explains why the Eagles were interested in doing this deal. Even though Gardner-Johnson had a $4.9 million cap hit for next season, and this trade gives them cap savings, the initially reported deal made little to no sense for Philadelphia. The additional $1.5 million in savings likely makes this deal more palatable for Eagles fans.
Regardless of this financial aspect, this is still a home run trade for the Texans. Moving on from Green alone is a net positive for Houston, as he has been one of the worst offensive linemen in the league over the last couple of years. Doing so while adding a true difference-maker like CJGJ is a brilliant trade that could help get the Texans to the next level in 2025.