In a beautiful coincidence, Sauce Gardner expressed optimism that his contract talks with the Jets are headed in the right direction while standing in front of a backdrop advertising Cash App.<\/p>\n
Gardner participated in mandatory minicamp this week instead of holding out and accepting a fine to send a message about urgency and leverage in negotiations. <\/p>\n
Veterans Trey Hendrickson (Bengals)<\/a> and T.J. Watt (Steelers)<\/a> are trying the opposite path.<\/p>\n \u201cI just wanted to show my teammates and the coaches how much I\u2019m bought into this,\u201d Gardner said after Thursday\u2019s practice. \u201cI want to win. I want to be a part of changing the organization.\u201d<\/p>\n Gardner\u2019s first three seasons include a Defensive Rookie of the Year award, two Pro Bowls and two First-Team All-Pro selections. <\/p>\n Sauce Gardner pictured during the Jets\u2019 minicamp session on June 11, 2025. Bill Kostroun for the NY Post<\/p>\n Sauce Gardner addresses reporters during a press conference on June 12. Bill Kostroun for the NY Post<\/p>\n He is due $5.2 million this season and is under team control on a fifth-year option in 2026.<\/p>\n The easy solution is to make Gardner the NFL\u2019s highest-paid cornerback sooner than later and avoid the flashbacks to standoffs with Jamal Adams and Darrelle Revis. <\/p>\n No need to convince head coach Aaron Glenn \u2014 a former Pro Bowl cornerback for the Jets \u2014 on the value of lockdown coverage.<\/p>\n That contract ceiling \u2014 occupied momentarily by the Texans\u2019 Derek Stingley Jr. at an average annual salary of $30 million over three years \u2014 only will continue climbing, and Stingley (No. 3) and Gardner (No. 4) were back-to-back picks in the 2022 draft. <\/p>\n There is plenty of room between Stingley and the No. 2 option, Panthers\u2019 Jaycee Horn ($25 million per year over four seasons).<\/p>\n \u201cMy main focus is being the best football player I can be,\u201d Gardner said, \u201cbut my team and the Jets have been talking, and I feel really good about how the talks have been going. I don\u2019t really want to get into the numbers.\u201d<\/p>\n Sauce Gardner is pictured during a Jets minicamp session on June 11. Bill Kostroun for the NY Post<\/p>\n General manager Darren Mougey could play hardball and make Gardner wait another year, but it gets tricky with receiver Garrett Wilson and Gardner on the same contract timeline and only one franchise tag available per offseason. <\/p>\n Not to mention 2026 free agents Jermaine Johnson and Breece Hall.<\/p>\n \u201cSince Day 1, [Wilson and I] came here saying we have to push each other because we want to help the organization,\u201d Gardner said. \u201cIf you win in New York, it\u2019s big for your legacy individually, big for the organization.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \u201cFast-forward, we\u2019re going into Year 4 together, and we always talk about competing at practice and how we have to make each other better because we are the building blocks for this organization. We are the homegrown talent that A.G. talks about.\u201d<\/p>\n Critics \u2014 and Gardner strangely has more than most top players \u2014 say the 24-year-old star took a step back last season when he wasn\u2019t named a Pro Bowler or an All-Pro. <\/p>\n And they point to his low three-year interception total of three compared to Singley\u2019s 11.<\/p>\n \u201cHis standard is so high because he\u2019s such a different player than everybody else on the field,\u201d cornerback Michael Carter II said. \u201cHe\u2019s focused, locked in. His mindset doesn\u2019t change one way or the other.\u201d<\/p>\n Sauce Gardner is pictured during the Jets\u2019 minicamp session June 10. Bill Kostroun for the NY Post<\/p>\n