Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner started his career with two memorable seasons. Year Three was forgettable, to say the least.
Via Rich Cimini of ESPN.com, Next Gen Stats ranked Gardner 47th out of 52 cornerbacks in Expected Points Added per target as the nearest defender to the receiver.
In 2022, he was second out of 49. In 2023, he was 13th out of 47.
Gardner landed on the official All-Pro team in both of those seasons, the first cornerback and only the third defender to earn that distinction twice to start his career.
Gardner downplays last year’s down play. Via Cimini, Gardner called his 2024 performance “pretty smooth.”
“It’s never as bad as people try to paint it to be,” Gardner said.
Still, it was well below the standard Gardner had set.
The new coaching staff, led by coach Aaron Glenn and defensive coordinator Steve Wilks, are trying to make it better.
“I know I’m not perfect, but the fact that [Wilks] is trying to get perfection out of me is what I need because, you know, I’ve had a lot of success, early success in the league,” Gardner said. “And the last thing I need is a new regime to come in here and just allow me to be complacent.
“I’m not saying that’s who I am, but it’s great to just have those type of guys that are going to demand a lot out of me and just push me in ways that I’ve never been pushed before.”
Glenn wants Gardner to become more of a leader, relying more on his example.
“Here’s what I’ve talked to him about, about who he needs to be,” Glenn said, per Cimini. “When you do lead, just let your influence do all the talking. How do you operate in the huddle and with the players in the locker room? That speaks more than the rah-rah guy. He understands that because influence, to me, is really what leadership is about.”
Glenn wouldn’t be saying that if he didn’t believe Gardner was lacking in that area. And Gardner may have gotten a little satisfied with himself in 2024, especially since the team’s results were far from satisfying. Why dig deep when otherwise in a hole you can’t get out of?
The situation makes the question of whether Gardner gets his second deal before, or after, the 2025 season — when he’s due to make only $5.2 million — very interesting. What the Jets will be willing to pay him after his 2024 season may be much less than what he’d get after a strong 2025. And the Jets may be hoping to get him to own 2024 by accepting that the reward will come in 2026.