Sauce Gardner, a cornerback for the New York Jets, will start his fourth season with the team. Gardner wants to spend his whole NFL career with the Jets because he is one of the team’s mainstays.
Before the next training camp arrives, New York will need to work out a contract extension with him. He will not become a free agent until after the 2026 NFL season, as his fifth-year option was previously selected. Gardner might not be the only player on the squad who receives a contract extension from this team in the near future.
Each employee was asked to provide information about one player on each squad who would require a contract extension. Zack Rosenblatt covers the Jets for the Athletic. Gardner and wide receiver Garrett Wilson were the two responses Rosenblatt provided in this case. The Jets standout cornerback was the primary emphasis here, and Rosenblatt stated,
“It’s difficult to choose only one without taking into account the other, so yes, I cheated and chose two. It will be an issue to deal with until (or if) the Jets’ two young players sign an extension. The Jets will have to pay more the longer they wait. Gardner aspires to be the NFL’s highest-paid cornerback, and Wilson is probably looking for a salary of $25–30 million annually. Although they are not legally required to, the Jets would be wise to sign their two main building blocks as soon as possible because they have both openly expressed their desire to stay in New York for the rest of their lives”.
Gardner has 49 tackles, one sack, one interception, and nine pass deflections during the 2024 season while playing for New Yok. Despite only being 24 years old, he is already among the NFL’s top cornerbacks. Gardner is expected to have a cap hit of more than $10 million for the 2025 season and more than $20 million for the 2026 season, according to Spotrac.
The Jets organization may offer him a contract in the future that is worth more than $25–$30 million each season. In addition to the fact that New York hasn’t qualified for the playoffs since 2010, it would be a significant sum of money for him. New York must provide Gardner a long-term contract because they cannot afford to lose him in the coming years after the Jets lost D.J. Reed to the Detroit Lions in free agency this offseason.
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