Sauce Gardner Says Jets Contract Talks Have Been 'Pretty Productive' amid NFL Rumors

Cornerback Sauce Gardner says his representatives have been having "pretty productive" extension talks with the New York Jets this offseason.

"We have our goals, in terms of numbers and stuff like that, and the Jets are aware of that," Gardner said Wednesday on The Pat McAfee Show. "And I'm aware of the rest of my peers, like [Jaycee Horn], [Derek Stingley Jr.], even [Patrick Surtain II] got paid, obviously before me, but those are all guys that are well-deserving of the money that they got.

"It's definitely something that my team and the Jets are talking about."

Gardner is set to make a base salary of $1.1 million in 2025, with about $9.5 million in signing and roster bonuses, per Spotrac.

He is currently signed through the 2026 season after the Jets exercised the fifth-year option on his contract in April.

If he plays under his club option in 2026, he is set to make just under $20.2 million in base salary before hitting unrestricted free agency in 2027, per Spotrac.

Gardner is hoping he will have a new contract before then, especially thanks to deals recently signed by Horn and Stingley.

Horn signed a four-year, $100 million extension, including $70 million in guarantees, with the Carolina Panthers in March.

One week later, Stingley reset the cornerback market by inking a three-year, $90 million deal including $89 million in guaranteed money with the Houston Texans.

Steelers cornerback Darius Slay said on social media last week that he hoped Gardner received a similar payout, to which Gardner responded by saying "it'll happen in due time."

Horn and Stingley are currently the only cornerbacks to earn an average annual salary of $25 million or more, per Over the Cap.

Surtain and the Pittsburgh Steelers' Jalen Ramsey, who both signed extensions ahead of the 2024 campaign, come in just behind at about $24 million per season.

Stingley, who like Gardner was a member of the 2022 draft class, told ESPN's DJ Bien-Aime after signing his deal that he believed his contract marked a new era for cornerbacks.

"Receivers are starting to touch $40 million [annually]," Stingley told ESPN. "[We're] the people that are going out there and competing against them. I think it's good that the cornerback position and other defensive positions are starting to get up there, too."

Gardner has similarly publicly questioned why cornerback salaries have lagged behind other positions like wide receiver and defensive end. But he declined to answer when asked after the Jets' June minicamp if he hoped to exceed Stingley's average annual salary, per ESPN's Rich Cimini.

When speaking to reporters on June 12, Gardner said he felt "pretty good about how the talks have been going" between his camp and the Jets.

The cornerback could be hoping to find a resolution to those talks before July 22, when veteran players are set to report to Jets training camp.