New York Jets fans should expect to see a lot more of Sauce Gardner
Franchise players are a dying breed. Across all sports, superstars have been on the move like never before. So when a star player does stick around with his original team for his entire career, it’s even more special.
Some of the most notable players to do that for the New York Jets include Nick Mangold, D’Brickashaw Ferguson, Mo Lewis, and Wesley Walker. One of the Jets’ current players is aiming to join that list.
On X (formerly Twitter), Sauce Gardner told Jets fans that he wants to be a New York Jet “for the rest of [his] career.”
I wanna be a New York Jet for the rest of my career.
— SAUCE GARDNER (@iamSauceGardner) May 2, 2024
Since being drafted fourth overall in 2022, Gardner has already made his mark on the league. As a rookie, he placed eighth in the Defensive Player of the Year race, won Defensive Rookie of the Year, and was the first rookie cornerback to be named to an All-Pro team in decades. He followed that up with another All-Pro season, making him the first cornerback in history to be named a first-team All-Pro in his first two career seasons.
The Jets can’t extend Gardner until after this upcoming season. When the time comes, they shouldn’t hesitate. The top of the cornerback market was set in 2022 by Jaire Alexander, who remains the position leader with a $21 million salary. That number will likely increase soon with Patrick Surtain II due to be extended. The sooner the Jets extend Gardner, the more money the Jets will save.
The Jets will cross that bridge when they come it, but for now, it seems like Gardner has no plans of playing football for any other organization.
