Heavy on jets

New York Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner is having the worst year of his NFL career in 2024, but don’t tell his coach that.

Cornerbacks coach Tony Oden emphatically told the media, “He’s still one of the best corners in the NFL, there’s no doubt about that.”

When asked how he thought Gardner played in the first seven games of the season, Oden replied, “I think he did well.”

“Technically he (Gardner) has regressed, he hasn’t produced as well as in previous years. Now he is neither more nor less targeted. According to our Next Gen Stats, he was targeted 22 times in seven games. Last year he scored 57 goals and played 16 games last year. So it’s pretty much the same. He has given up 14 receptions for 232 yards and one touchdown this year. Last year, the closest defender had 33 catches for 366 yards and two touchdowns,” ESPN’s Rich Cimini revealed on “The Flight Deck Podcast.”

The biggest problem for Gardner was penalties

“His penalties have increased. He has four penalties for 48 yards. Last year he had five penalties all year long for 50. Of course, he has no interceptions. His streak without an interception is 31 straight games. Now I get it, he doesn’t get targeted often, but 31 games in a row? “That’s a lot and you’re right that Sauce can’t keep up as well as it did in the first few years,” Cimini admitted.

When asked about the increase in Gardner’s penalties, Oden shrugged and then said, “He has to play, I have to practice, and they (the officials) have to call it quits.”

A member of the media then asked if Gardner was playing differently this season, to which Oden bluntly replied, “No.”

Gardner has a coverage grade of 70.9 through the first seven games of the season. According to Pro Football Focus, that ranks him 28th among all cornerbacks.

Interestingly, Gardner’s teammate DJ Reed is the No. 1 cornerback in the NFL in coverage grade (87.4), according to PFF.

Jets will likely keep Gardner long-term

“I think Sauce will end up re-signing with a long-term deal (with the Jets). That’s just my feeling,” Cimini said.

Gardner will be eligible to discuss a contract extension for the first time in the 2025 offseason. He was originally projected to be the highest-paid cornerback in football before the season.

Gardner is the only cornerback in the modern era to earn first-team All-Pro honors in his first two seasons. In 2022 and 2023 he was among the absolute elite, but in 2024 there was a decline.

It will be interesting to see how this off-year affects the value of a potential long-term deal with the Green and Whites.

The No. 1 highest-paid corner in football is Miami Dolphins standout Jalen Ramsey, who is making an average of $24.1 million per year under his new contract. There’s a clear upper echelon in the cornerback market with Ramsey and Denver Broncos cornerback Patrick Surtain II ($24 million per year), and then there’s everyone else.

The second highest paid cornerback after Ramsey and PS2 is Jaire Alexander of the Green Bay Packers, who earns $21 million per season.

Paul Esden Jr. covers the New York Jets for Heavy.com. The New York native is co-host of Cumulus Media’s morning show “The Manchild Show with Boy Green.” Prior to joining Heavy in 2021, Esden Jr. covered both national and New York City sports for FanSided, Elite Sports NY and The Score 1260. More about Paul Esden Jr.