Jets' Sauce Gardner Talks Robert Saleh's Firing: 'We're Doing It For Him Still'

Robert Saleh is no longer the head coach of the New York Jets after the AFC East team fired him, but count Sauce Gardner among the players who are still thinking about him.

"If I'm being honest … we're doing it for him still," the cornerback said Thursday, per ESPN's Kimberley A. Martin.

Gardner also said Saleh "changed my life," which is why he texts the coach "I appreciate you" every year on his birthday.

That Gardner still feels an affinity for Saleh comes as no surprise.

After all, he is the only head coach the cornerback has ever played for in the NFL. Saleh was on the sidelines for the Jets when they selected the two-time Pro Bowler with the No. 4 overall pick of the 2022 NFL draft and helped develop the Cincinnati product into one of the best defensive backs in the league.

Gardner's resume includes the 2022 Defensive Rookie of the Year, two First-Team All-Pro selections and the two Pro Bowl nods. He led the league with 20 passes defended as a rookie, and opposing quarterbacks have since learned not to throw at him so much.

Saleh was surely involved in helping him become the player he is, as the coach brought a defensive background to the Jets job.

He was the defensive coordinator of the San Francisco 49ers for four seasons before becoming the head coach in New York and helped lead the NFC West team to the Super Bowl during the 2019 campaign.

Ultimately, the Jets were just 20-36 under Saleh after a 2-3 start this year.

Still, the timing of the firing was the most surprising part, as everyone is still adjusting to a healthy Aaron Rodgers under center. If the Jets were going to give the head coach such a short leash anyway, perhaps they would have been better off making a change during the offseason so they had more time to get the ideal system in place for the 2024 campaign.

Gardner told reporters he was "shocked" Saleh was fired when he was, which is a sentiment he surely doesn't feel alone.

For now, New York will move forward with defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich serving in the interim role as it prepares for Monday's key divisional game against the Buffalo Bills.