Aaron Rodgers referred to Sauce Gardner as a “top-three player” on the Jets, and the third-year cornerback knows that means he has to bring more than talent to the field.
“I’m trying to teach them [my teammates] the things that I know and the tricks that I know,” Gardner said Wednesday after the first practice of training camp. “I just come in here day in and day out and be the best teammate I can be.”
Despite only two years in the league, the 23-year-old has a hefty amount of expertise under his belt.
The two-time All-Pro has 132 combined tackles and two interceptions, and was the NFL’s Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2022.
The Jets have been a top-five defense over the past two seasons — with much of the credit going to Gardner — but it’s not enough.
“You never want to be complacent; top five is not good enough,” Gardner said. “That’s just the standard we have.”
The cornerback showcased his eagerness and defensive prowess Wednesday.
“I feel like I had a pretty good day,” Gardner said. “I just made sure I overemphasized communicating; it’s contagious.”
Nevertheless, there is an unavoidable downside to being one of the best on any team — the haters.
Gardner is generally regarded as one of the top two or three corners in the league. More recently, an Associated Press survey pegged him as the No. 1 cornerback.
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But the comment section accompanying stories about the rankings jump off those pages, and they slapped Gardner right across the face.
“It’s one of those things where you see it on the internet and it’s like, OK,” Gardner said. “But you still think in the back of your head like, ‘Jeez, this is like anonymous people saying I’m handsy and overrated more than the guys I’m going against.’ ”
Blocking out the noise will be necessary as Gardner continues to step into his full potential.
“I gotta let it go through one ear and out the other when I hear stuff like that,” Gardner said.
With the NFL season around the corner, the Jets’ 40-year-old quarterback is looking to Gardner for help leading the team.
“It’s not just me, it can’t just be me,” Rodgers said. “It’s gotta be other guys who step up into that leadership role.”
And Sauce Gardner has to be one of those “other guys.”
