Jets’ most scrutinized offseason signing is silencing the doubters

When Brandon Stephens first signed a three-year contract with the New York Jets during the 2025 offseason, fans weren’t entirely pleased with the move.

Frustration grew through the first month of the season as Stephens struggled mightily against quality offenses in Pittsburgh, Buffalo, and Tampa Bay. Since those early struggles, though, Stephens has bounced back with strong play over the last few weeks.

Across his last six games, Stephens has committed no penalties, allowed one touchdown, racked up five pass deflections, and yielded 153 yards on throws into his coverage—just 25.5 per game.

Despite the early-season woes, Stephens’ bounce-back has been impressive enough to position him as one of the league’s top cornerbacks through the first 10 weeks of the season. Stephens has recorded an overall Pro Football Focus grade of 73.0, good for 12th-best among 83 qualified cornerbacks (min. 300 snaps).

The uptick in production from New York’s free agent pickup comes at the best possible time: immediately after the team traded away his All-Pro teammate.

Stephens becoming a valuable piece for Jets

Months after the Jets agreed to terms with Stephens in free agency, the organization extended two-time All-Pro cornerback Sauce Gardner to a four-year, $120 million deal, worth $30 million per year. The contract included $85.4 million in total guarantees.

Stephens is earning an average of $12 million per year under his three-year, $36 million contract with Gang Green, with just $23 million guaranteed.

Based on his contract and his level of play so far, Stephens has been a better fit for the Jets’ long-term goals compared to Gardner. There’s a reason the latter was sent to Indianapolis for two first-round picks and a second-round receiver: New York is focused on finding value defensively, while allocating its premium resources toward the offense.

Through nine games, Stephens has provided much better value on the dollar than Gardner.

One of the stark differences between Gardner and Stephens — beyond the contract values — is Stephens’ physicality in both pass coverage and run support. It’s helped him become a key part of a unit predicated upon that very trait.

Stephens steps up

Since the trade of Gardner, Stephens has taken on more of a leadership role, not just in the secondary, but across the defense as a whole. It’s something the coaching staff has appreciated as the 27-year-old corner continues to outperform his contract value.

As the Jets prepare for their Thursday night showdown against the New England Patriots, Stephens understands what’s at stake.

“The time is condensed and so there’s really less time preparing, and so it’s going to come down to the small details,” Stephens said. “Who’s going to be the best at the small details and who’s going to play both supportive and complementary football the best?”

Gardner was a leader in his own right in New York. But as good as he was, his performance wasn’t impactful enough to alter the team’s struggles.

Based on his contract, Stephens’ performance has been a valuable addition — and more in line with the franchise’s goals than its former All-Pro.