Vrabel Fires Back at Gardner-Johnson After 'Sore Loser' Remarks

New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel responded sharply to comments made by Buffalo Bills safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson, who downplayed the significance of Efton Chism's game-winning touchdown catch.

Chism, an undrafted free agent, made a one-handed grab to secure a 29-26 victory for the Patriots over the Bills on Sunday. Following the game, Gardner-Johnson was quoted as referring to Chism as a "practice squad player" and suggesting his impactful play was a one-off event.

"An elevated guy made a hell of a catch - [we] probably won't hear from him again.... a practice squad player made a hell of a play," Gardner-Johnson reportedly said. "That's all I'm going to tell you. You do it again, and he probably won't make it again."

When presented with Gardner-Johnson's remarks, Vrabel questioned the Bills safety's own career trajectory. "For a guy that's been on eight teams in four years? I mean, I guess he knows the drill," Vrabel stated on The Greg Hill Show.

Gardner-Johnson, drafted by the New Orleans Saints in 2019, has also had stints with the Philadelphia Eagles (twice), Detroit Lions, Houston Texans, Baltimore Ravens, and Chicago Bears before joining the Bills. He has played for five different teams since 2024.

In contrast, Vrabel highlighted Chism's dedication and hard work. "Nobody works harder [than Chism]. You love to see players take advantage of opportunities, to help the team win," Vrabel added. "He is very well respected, he practices, he is on show team, he takes a million reps, nobody logs more miles or yards or whatever we track than Chis."

Chism has played in 11 regular-season games for the Patriots and has never been on the team's practice squad. Vrabel's comments serve as a defense of his player against what he perceived as disrespectful remarks.

Following the game, Gardner-Johnson had indicated that the Bills would have an opportunity to respond when the two teams meet again in Week 13, stating, "They won the game, whatever. They didn't do s***. They didn't do s*** better than us. We've got to play better. And they can mark that. We'll be back to see them at the end of the year, so they better have that same energy. They put up what, 20-something points? They barely scored. They struggled all game."