This offseason Sauce Gardner is eligible to discuss a contract extension with the New York Jets for the first time in his career.
On Monday, January 6 he was asked about his thought process heading into this pivotal time in his career.
“I’m going to just let my agent handle that. Obviously, I want to be a part of this for a long time. I want to be the reason, I want to be a part of the change in this organization. Because if I was to go somewhere else and then it was to change, I’d be a hater for real. I would probably be the No. 1 hater,” Gardner joked with the media. “Yeah I want to be a part of it [and] I want to be a part of this for a long time. I want to be one of the reasons, obviously, one person can’t change it but I want to be one of the reasons that it changes so I’m just going to let my agent handle it and he’s going to do his job and I’m going to focus on doing mine.”
How could you not want to build your franchise around this guy?
Sauce Gardner provided a passionate answer on why he wants to be a part of the #Jets ‘for a long time’ & he wants to be here when this thing turns around.
😭😭😭
🎥 @nyjets #JetUp pic.twitter.com/ECxTgnsOWr
— Paul Andrew Esden Jr (@BoyGreen25) January 7, 2025
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Gardner Wants to be Here Long-Term
The Jets have 20 free agents scheduled to hit the open market this offseason. The typical answer you’ve heard from these players when asked about their future is sure I’d love to be back but blah blah out of my control.
Gardner didn’t provide a cookie-cutter answer about the uncertainty of a new general manager and head coach coming in here.
Instead, he passionately explained why he doesn’t want to go anywhere else and he wants to be a part of changing this Jets team around. The green and white have missed the playoffs for 14 consecutive seasons, the longest drought in franchise history.
Gardner is coming off of his worst season as a pro. However, it’s important to note that Sauce became the first defensive back in the modern era to be named a first-team All-Pro across his first two seasons. He set the bar incredibly high going into year No. 3 and he didn’t surpass it, but who would?
Gardner appeared in 15 games during the 2024 season. He recorded an interception, nine pass deflections, a sack, and totaled 49 tackles.
Sauce is Projected to Get a Bag
According to Spotrac’s calculated market value, Gardner is worth a three-year deal for $62.3 million. That $20.8 million annual salary would place him No. 4 among the highest-paid cornerbacks in the NFL, per Over The Cap.
It’ll be interesting to see if Gardner and his representation aggressively pursue a new deal this offseason. With Gardner coming off of a down year, his leverage position isn’t what it was coming off his first two seasons.
Before the 2024 campaign, it seemed like a foregone conclusion that Gardner would reset the top of the cornerback market. That seems less obvious now based on new information.
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Sauce Gardner Delivers Powerful Message About Jets Long Term Future