New York Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner wants to stick around for the long term, hoping he can be a catalyst for a dramatic turnaround. It sounds like that wish will come to fruition.
The two sides are engaged in contract discussions, according to Gardner.
“My main focus has been being the best football player I can be, but my team and the Jets have been talking and, you know, I feel pretty good about how the talks have been going,” he said Thursday at the conclusion of the team’s mandatory minicamp.
Gardner, 24, a two-time All-Pro and the 2022 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, said it was important for him to be at minicamp.
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“Man, I just wanted to show my teammates, show my coaches how much I’m bought into this now,” he said. “I want to win. I want to change the organization. I want to be a part of changing the organization.”
Gardner’s fifth-year option was exercised in May, so he has two years remaining on his rookie contract.
The Jets never have extended a former first-round pick after three seasons, but new general manager Darren Mougey has talked about locking up their top young players. The team is also in talks with fourth-year wide receiver Garrett Wilson, another 2022 first-round choice.
Houston Texans star Derek Stingley Jr., drafted No. 3 in 2022 (one spot ahead of Gardner), raised the ceiling for corners earlier this offseason with a three-year, $90 million extension.
Gardner declined to say whether he wants to surpass Stingley as the highest-paid corner.
“I don’t really want to get into the numbers,” he said.
In Gardner’s first three seasons, the Jets compiled a 19-32 record, which led to an organizational reboot. Gardner praised Mougey and new coach Aaron Glenn, himself a former corner who played with the Jets from 1994 to 2001.
“I feel like they’re doing a great job and changing the culture for sure,” Gardner said.
Gardner and Wilson were part of a blockbuster 2022 draft class, which also included defensive end Jermaine Johnson (first round) and running back Breece Hall (second round). Johnson missed 15 games last season with a torn Achilles, but his fifth-year option was exercised. Hall is entering the final year of his contract.
The Jets expect a big year out of Gardner.
“He’s one of the top corners in the league, but that consistency of being that dominant player each and every week, that’s what we’re looking for,” defensive coordinator Steve Wilks said. “That’s been his challenge this offseason.”
