All eyes are on the 2025 NFL draft with less than a week to go.
However, the New York Jets have other business to sort out this offseason. Two of their biggest stars, cornerback Sauce Gardner and wide receiver Garrett Wilson, are eligible for extensions.
Since being drafted fourth and 10th overall in the 2022 draft, Gardner and Wilson have been among the best at their respective positions. They have also managed to stay healthy. Health is a premium, and Gardner has only missed three games while Wilson has not missed a game in three seasons.
Despite the Jets’ putrid record, the two young stars have repeatedly shown their commitment to the team. Both are attending offseason workouts while their contract negotiations are ongoing. Now it’s time for general manager Darren Mougey to make his mark and reward the Jets’ best players.
So what would their extensions look like?
To figure that out, I looked at recent extensions from this past offseason. These projections are based on similar contracts at each position. While there have been rumored contract valuations, the Mougey front office has done a great job of limiting leaks.
Let’s dive in.
Garrett Wilson’s Extension
For Wilson’s contract, I looked at the recent extensions of DK Metcalf, Tee Higgins, and Amon-Ra St. Brown.
- DK Metcalf
- 4 years
- $132 million ($34.0M Average Per Year)
- $60 million guaranteed
- Tee Higgins
- 4 years
- $115 million ($28.75M APY)
- $40.8 million guaranteed
- Amon-Ra St. Brown
- $4 years
- $120.01 million ($30M APY)
- $77 million guaranteed
While Metcalf is certainly a talented receiver, the Pittsburgh Steelers paid a premium to land the star wide receiver in a trade. The St. Brown and Higgins extensions provide more reasonable guidelines for a Wilson extension. Across all the deals, the first two years were guaranteed, with St. Brown getting a bit more.
As a player, Wilson arguably ranks second-best of the four behind St. Brown. Metcalf and Higgins are talented, but Wilson slightly edges them both out. Given that, I expect Wilson’s extension to look like the following:
- 4 years
- $121 million ($30.25 APY)
- $65 million guaranteed
Wilson’s $30.25 million average annual salary would rank sixth among wide receivers. He could feasibly get as low as $25 million APY, but with Metcalf’s $34 million APY contract, I don’t see Wilson going much lower.
Through three seasons, Wilson has established himself as a borderline top 10 wide receiver. He ranks top-10 in both receptions and receiving yards since being drafted. While he has parts of his game to clean up, Wilson is one of the most talented receivers in the NFL. The Jets would be wise to lock him up now.
Sauce Gardner’s Extension
For Gardner’s contract, I looked at the recent extensions of Derek Stingley, Jaycee Horn, and Patrick Surtain.
The NFL cornerback market had stagnated since 2022 but has exploded in the last year and a half with the following extensions:
- Derek Stingley
- 3 years
- $90 million ($30M APY)
- $89 million guaranteed
- Jaycee Horn
- 4 years
- $100 million ($25M APY)
- $72 million guaranteed
- Patrick Surtain
- 4 years
- $96 million ($24M APY)
- $77.5 million guaranteed
Compared to the wide receiver comparisons, a notable difference is that the cornerbacks received a large portion of their contracts guaranteed. Surtain and Horn saw approximately their first three years guaranteed, while Stingley is essentially fully guaranteed.
Based on these, I believe Gardner’s extension will look like this:
- 4 years
- $124 million ($31M APY)
- $100 Million guaranteed
This would make Gardner the new highest-paid cornerback, a title he’s earned. While Stingley built on his 2023 season with an All-Pro campaign in 2024, Gardner still has the better résumé.
The Jets could save some money due to Gardner’s down year, but they already missed their opportunity to save big by getting ahead of the market. The absolute floor is Horn’s $25 million APY, but I’d expect Gardner to surpass Stingley’s market-resetting contract.
Darren Mougey can kick off the new era right
Since being drafted in 2022, Gardner and Wilson have quickly established themselves as the faces of the franchise. Their talent was quickly recognized, winning Defensive and Offensive Rookie of the Year.
Although Gardner has reached a higher level in his position, wide receivers cost a premium. Between both projected contracts, the Jets would commit $246 million over the next four years ($165 million guaranteed). And that money would be well worth it.
While top dollar is tough, the Jets have two young homegrown top players at premium positions. These are the deals that feel like steals when looking back. Quinnen Williams’ contract went from the second-highest among defensive tackles in 2023 to tied for sixth after only two years.
Mougey said the Jets will work on extending their players after the draft. He mentioned Jermaine Johnson and Alijah Vera-Tucker as well. But the Gardner and Wilson extensions are the true blockbusters.
In the end, there’s a good chance this is what they will look like.
