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When New York Jets cornerback Ahmad Gardner arrived in Las Vegas, he had a new piece of jewelry to go along with his large “SAUCE” chain — and it appeared to be a sauce bottle with the number one on it.
This led to a lot of speculation on whether the bottle actually opened and after flying to New York to meet with his new franchise, Gardner revealed the hidden feature of the special piece of ‘bling.’
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Woody Gets the ‘Inside Scoop’
Owner Woody Johnson posted the video on Twitter and already appears to be enamored by his new first-round pick after hinting the organization would select him before the draft began. Gardner described the new chain as the “all-purpose sauce bottle,” before unscrewing the top.
“This is rare footage,” Gardner continued, “people don’t know the top comes off.” The charismatic CB noted that “you never know what sauce is in [the necklace],” adding to the mysterious allure of the “all-purpose sauce bottle.”
When Johnson joked whether or not Gardner even knew what was in the necklace on any giving day, the rookie replied that “of course, I would know because I’m [gonna] be filling it up.”
His parting message was simple: “You can never have too much sauce in life. Keep it a little messy, then you got sauce dripping on the outside — that’s okay.”
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Gardner Was ‘Always the One’
Just like last year, the Jets sent out the behind-the-scenes footage of the draft war room phone calls to new players and Gardner’s was pretty revealing. “SAUCE!!!” Head coach Robert Saleh screamed over the phone in excitement.
There were rumors throughout the week that the Jets would select the cornerback if he fell to them but with D.J. Reed Jr. and Bryce Hall already on the roster among others, it was unclear whether or not that was a smokescreen. It wasn’t.
“Hey, we’re excited,” admitted Saleh. “We sweated for about 15 minutes but you were always the one man. From one Detroit kid to another, we’re going to have a hell of a time out here turning this thing.”
Saleh said it himself, Gardner was always the pick at No. 4 — the only question was whether or not he’d fall to them. After the Houston Texans selected fellow CB Derek Stingley Jr., it was party time in the Jets war room.
Many believed the Cincinnati Bearcat to be the top coverage specialist in the draft, with zero touchdowns allowed over the 1,100-plus coverage snaps of his college career. He’s rangy and lanky with strong press ability — a perfect fit to lead Saleh’s scheme.
He’s also “swaggy,” according to general manager Joe Douglas. “Swaggy Sauce Gardner!” the GM greeted. “You ready to join the family?”
“I just want to thank y’all,” Gardner responded. “If this happens at four, I’m going to be the highest draft pick in Cincinnati history.” And he was.
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