Sauce Gardner
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New York Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner greets the fans in 2022.
The New York Jets had one of the best drafts in recent memory when they hit on both Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner and Garrett Wilson in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft. Now, three years later, the pair is entering the last year of their four-year rookie contract.
ESPN’s Aaron Schatz posted an article Thursday morning calling for one last bold move from each team to end the 2025 free agency frenzy in the NFL. These moves consisted of high profile trades and signings, or simple contract minutia. For the Jets, Schatz believes the most pressing issue is locking down these two young play makers long term.
“The problem with having both the 2022 Offensive and Defensive Rookie of the Year on your team is that you have to extend both guys a couple of seasons later,” Schatz writes. “Thanks to the fifth-year option, the Jets know they have both Gardner and Wilson through 2026. But let’s be honest, they want to have them both a lot longer than that.”
Though he provides no further elaboration on what a Wilson extension might look like, Schatz does use another NFL super star’s contract as a benchmark for what fans can expect out of a Sauce extension.
“It would be nice to get deals done before the season starts,” he concludes. “Gardner’s contract might be easier to sign because we know that Derek Stingley Jr., selected one pick ahead of Gardner in the 2022 draft, got a three-year, $90 million deal. Gardner should just get the same contract.”
Is Sauce Gardner Worth That Kind Of Money?
Sauce is the premiere cornerback talent in the league. He’s got the swag, the talent, and the reputation to earn significant attention in opposing team’s game plans. As such, though his stats might not indicate his full impact, he is Pro Football Focus’ number one corner.
“Gardner’s 91.9 PFF coverage grade since 2022 leads the league,” PFF published. “He has forced a league-high 46 incompletions and allowed a league-low 0.60 yards per cover snap and 21.4% first-down-plus-touchdown rate over that span.”
All of this being done on a “measly” $8.3 million a year, one of the best contracts in all of football. As previously mentioned, Derek Stingley Jr., is the highest paid corner in the league, bringing home $30 million a year. He plays a very different game than Sauce, as his high risk he reward style yields more interceptions for his team, but also allows for more breaks for opposing quarterbacks.
According to Spotrac, the Jets are inside of the top ten in current available cap space for the next few years. This means that the team can pay Sauce now without having to worry about other pending contracts in later seasons.
All of this to say: we can conclude that the team can afford to extend Sauce and his play has proven worthy of such a move.
Wilson Could Be Even Pricier
In this version of the NFL, everybody is getting paid. Most recently, Jamarr Chase reset the wide receiver market signing a $40 million mega contract and becoming the highest paid receiver in NFL history.
It is unlikely Wilson will demand that kind of coin, the market sits pretty comfortably around the $32 million mark for receivers in the second highest tier.
Receivers like D.K Metcalf, A.J. Brown, and Tyreek Hill headline this $30+ million tier and after three straight 1,000 yard seasons to start his career, it seems as though Wilson might slide seamlessly into this company.