Coach Aaron Rodgers called Sauce Gardner a “top-three player” for the Jets, but the third-year cornerback knows that means he has to bring more than just talent to the field.
“I try to teach them [my teammates] “I’m just going to do the best I can with what I know and the skills I know,” Gardner said Wednesday after the first practice of training camp. “I’m just going to come out here every day and be the best teammate I can be.”
Though he’s only been in the league for two years, the 23-year-old has accumulated a wealth of expertise.
The two-time All-Pro selection recorded 132 total tackles and two interceptions and was named the NFL’s Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2022.
The Jets have had a top-five defense the past two seasons, and much of the credit for that goes to Gardner, but it’s not enough.
“We should never be satisfied. Top five is not enough,” Gardner said. “That’s our standard.”
The cornerback displayed his enthusiasm and defensive prowess on Wednesday.
“I thought it was a really good day,” Gardner said. “We just made sure to emphasize communication because communication is contagious.”
However, there is an inevitable downside to being one of the best players on any team: haters.
Gardner is generally considered one of the top two or three cornerbacks in the league, and was recently ranked No. 1 by the Associated Press poll.
But the comments section accompanying the article about the rankings jumps off the page and is full of scathing criticism of Gardner.
“It’s the kind of thing that you see on the Internet and you’re like, ‘Oh, OK, OK,'” Gardner said, “but deep down you’re like, ‘This is just anonymous people saying that I’m over-reachable and over-rated compared to the guys I’m playing against.’
Gardner will need to block out the noise if he is to continue to reach his full potential.
“When you hear stories like that, it just goes in one ear and out the other,” Gardner said.
With the NFL season fast approaching, the Jets’ 40-year-old quarterback is looking to Gardner for help in leading the team.
“It can’t just be me, it can’t just be me,” Rodgers said. “We need other guys to take on leadership roles.”
And Sauce Gardner must be one of those “other guys.”
