Another day brings another big contract extension for the New York Jets.
Just a day after signing wide receiver Garrett Wilson to a long-term deal, the Jets rewarded their star cornerback Sauce Gardner with a record-breaking contract—a four-year extension worth $120.4 million, according to sources on Tuesday.
This deal guarantees $85.653 million, as reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
The two-time All-Pro now holds the title of the NFL’s highest-paid cornerback based on average yearly salary, which is $30.1 million. He surpasses Derek Stingley Jr. from the Houston Texans, who signed a three-year extension worth $90 million in March. Stingley was picked third overall in 2022, just before Gardner.
Gardner shared on X, “this is only the beginning,” and expressed gratitude to his brother Allante Gardner, his representatives AJ Vaynerchuk and the Jets along with their fans.
Sauce Gardner has two years left on his rookie deal, which includes a fifth-year option for 2026 worth $20.2 million guaranteed.
The Jets have successfully locked in two key players until 2030, showing a proactive strategy that hasn’t been common with past stars in the team’s history. Gardner and Wilson are the first two former first-round picks to receive contract extensions during their first year of eligibility under the NFL’s current financial rules, which began in 2011.
Gardner is now the first Jets player since linebacker C.J. Mosley to hold the title of highest paid player in the league for his position. In 2019, Mosley signed a five-year, $85 million deal as a free agent, and his average of $17 million per year stayed at the top among off-ball linebackers for four months.
At the recent minicamp, Gardner, who is 24 years old, expressed his desire to stay with the Jets for a long time.
“I want to change the organization,” he expressed. “I want to help in transforming the organization.”
The new leadership of the Jets, led by coach Aaron Glenn and general manager Darren Mougey, has made it clear from the beginning that their aim is to keep their best young players, which previous administrations have struggled to achieve.
Gardner quickly made his mark by winning the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year award in 2022. He is the only cornerback since the NFL-AFL merger in 1970 to be named first-team All-Pro in both of his first two seasons. Only two other defensive players have achieved this: former New York Giants star Lawrence Taylor and Dallas Cowboys pass rusher Micah Parsons.
In his rookie year, Gardner ranked second among cornerbacks in EPA (Expected Points Added) per target when he was the nearest defender (with at least 400 coverage snaps), according to Next Gen Stats. However, he dropped to 13th place in 2023 and fell to 47th in 2024.
