Sauce Gardner is eligible to get paid. Now, the question is whether the Jets’ new regime will do it.
The Jets star cornerback just completed his third season and that is when players are first eligible for a contract extension in the NFL.
Gardner was first-team All Pro in his first two seasons and Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2022, but he had a down year by his standards in 2024.
Gardner did not say he would be asking for a new contract, but the expectation is there will be discussions between his agent and the Jets whenever they hire a new general manager.
“I’ve got to see. I take it one day at a time,” Gardner said. “I’m going to just let my agent handle that.”
Gardner said he wants to be with the Jets long-term. He has one more year remaining on his rookie contract and the Jets hold a fifth-year option for 2026, which must be picked up before May.
“I want to be part of this for a long time,” Gardner said. “I want to be part of the change in this organization. If I was to go somewhere else and then there was a change, I’d be a hater, for real. I’d probably be the No. 1 hater.”
Fellow 2022 first-round pick Garrett Wilson was not in the locker room on Monday.
Wilson is also expected to be seeking a new contract and there is speculation he could ask for a trade.
WR Davante Adams spent half a season with the Jets and that may be it.
Adams is under contract for 2025, but the Jets can clear $30 million in salary cap space by releasing Adams.
“I have no idea, honestly,” Adams said of his future. “I truly have no idea. I’m trying to take a little bit of time right now and reᴀssess and see how I’m feeling, see what the team’s feeling and have a few conversations and hopefully come up with a plan moving forward.”
The Jets acquired Adams in a trade with the Raiders in October, giving up a third-round pick to reunite Adams with QB Aaron Rodgers.
The future of Rodgers and the Jets is uncertain. Adams said Rodgers’ decision will play a role in his future but he said he “potentially” would remain with the Jets without Rodgers.
“I don’t know what his plans are yet and where that’s heading but I would imagine that would have something to do with it,” Adams said.
LB C.J. Mosley, who missed the last two months of the season with a neck injury said he is trying to get healthy to return in 2025.
“I don’t have any thoughts on retiring,” Mosley said. “So my main focus just to make sure I’m 100 percent on the field and off the field.”
