NFL Rumors: Jets' Sauce Gardner Will 'Reset the CB Market' on New Contract

The New York Jets will have to get creative when figuring out contract extensions for their talented 2022 draft class, but one member reportedly has an easy route to a big payday.

Connor Hughes of SNY reported that "sources agreed" that an extension for Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner "is a far simpler deal" than the rest of the class.

"He'll reset the cornerback market as the highest-paid player because the two-time All-Pro First Team selection is (arguably) the NFL's top corner," Hughes stated.

In addition to Gardner, fellow 2022 first-round picks Garrett Wilson and Jermaine Johnson are eligible for extensions this offseason. Second-round pick Breece Hall is also in line for a new deal, so there's a lot of work to be done for the new regime in New York, led by first-year head coach Aaron Glenn and general manager Darren Mougey.

Gardner got off to an impressive start to his NFL career with back-to-back Pro Bowl selections and All-Pro first-team selections in his first two years in the league. However, he fell short of his astronomical standards during the Jets' disappointing 2024 season.

Across 15 games, Gardner totaled career lows of 49 total tackles and nine passes defended while also adding an interception and a sack. The Jets went 5-12 and fired head coach Robert Saleh early in the year, which caused Gardner and the rest of New York's once-top-five defense to suffer.

Still, Gardner has made it no secret that he hopes to remain with the Jets on a long-term deal.

"I want to be part of this for a long time. I want to be part of the change in this organization," he told ESPN's Rich Cimini in January before adding, "If I was to go somewhere else and then there was a change, I'd be a hater, for real. I'd be the No. 1 hater."

Gardner is the type of player the Jets should try to build around for the future, so Glenn and Mougey should be motivated to get an extension done with him sooner rather than later.