Sauce Gardner glints in the floodlights and he ponders the start of yet another new era in New York.

The cornerback has covered his teeth in jewel-encrusted grills. But there is no sugar coating Gardner’s words as he outlines what needs to change at One Jets Drive.

‘All of us buying in, locking in, having a building full of leaders. A building full of men and women that want to win,’ he tells the DailyMail.

A couple of men have just wandered through the door. One of the greatest ever to do it briefly pᴀssed them on his way out.

Gardner is speaking a few days after Aaron Glenn and Darren Mougey arrived at the Jets. And a few days before it was confirmed that Aaron Rodgers’ rollercoaster two-year tenure was over.

Gardner had been chatting to Rodgers since the end of his second season in New York. It was another miserable year as the Jets’ playoff drought stretched to 14 years, the longest active streak in the NFL by some distance.

Sauce Gardner spoke to DailyMail.com about Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets’ new era

The cornerback formed a close bond with Rodgers, who is leaving the team after two seasons 

Aaron Glenn (second right) and GM Darren Mougey (second left) have opted to move on 

Rodgers had publicly teased the possibility of retiring or moving elsewhere. He is now being linked with a host of teams including the New York Giants, Pittsburgh Steelers, San Francisco 49ers, Tennessee тιтans and even the Las Vegas Raiders, where he would team up with old rival Tom Brady, who holds a five per cent stake in the team.

But neither football nor his future were on the agenda when he caught up with Gardner.

‘We ain’t really talked about football,’ the cornerback says. Instead? ‘Really golf and just life.’ But when asked if he would have liked the 41-year-old quarterback to return for a third season, Gardner said: ‘Of course.

‘But I know (there’s) the business side of it. So it’s not about what I want. It’s about, strategically, what makes sense.’

After a meeting in New Jersey, the Jets and Rodgers decided to part ways. So much for all the hope and expectation that greeted the quarterback’s arrival from Green Bay in 2023. 

Rodgers’ first season ended with a torn Achilles – after only four snaps. His second year finished with the Jets 5-12, and both years ended with them sitting third in the AFC East.

But Gardner formed a bond with the legendary quarterback. He gifted Rodgers a custom No 8 diamond chain. They devised their own handshake – where they pretend to smoke together – and headed to Madison Square Garden together to watch the Knicks. 

When asked about the handshake in a 2023 interview, Gardner laughed and said: ‘I don’t really know. He came up with it. It’s nothing too serious because I’ve never smoked or drunk a day in my life. We were just having a little fun. I can’t even explain it to you.’

Gardner and Rodgers devised a handshake together that ends with them pretending to smoke

Gardner poses alongside WNBA star Angel Reese during Super Bowl week in New Orleans

Gardner and Rodgers headed to Madison Square Garden together to watch the Knicks 

The 41-year-old Rodgers has become one of the NFL’s most polarizing figures in recent years. Rodgers found himself in the firing line over the Covid vaccine, over his appearances on The Pat McAfee Show, over his approach to alternative medicines. And over his performances on the field. 

‘I know people try to paint a picture and create a narrative when it comes to him, but I can truly say those narratives are false,’ Gardner says. ‘He’s a great guy that’s always just willing to help others. At times, it seems like he cares more about (other) people than himself.’

The cornerback offers some examples from behind closed doors.

‘In practice, just telling me how I can help my game for the better. When we are competing against each other, he could easily just not say anything to me about my craft, and things that he sees… but he knows it’s (about) more than just him and me… it’s an entire team.’ 

Gardner is at a loss to explain why the Jets continued to malfunction last season, their ninth straight with a losing record. They fired head coach Robert Saleh in October and GM Joe Douglas in November. Now Rodgers, whose 90.5 pᴀsser rating was his worst ever over a full season and ranked 21 of 34 quarterbacks to appear in 10 or more games last season, has paid the price too.

‘I know from here on forward, we just got to make sure we dial in, continue to stay together and continue to get that winning mentality,’ says Gardner.

Over to you, Aaron Glenn. Gardner has publicly committed his future to the Jets and he recently met the new head coach as they look to lay the foundations for better days.

‘We’ve just been talking about life,’ he says. ‘Getting to know each other more.’ Chatting about family and about football.  ‘All the things that I want to talk about,’ Gardner adds. 

So what has he learned? ‘He’s a man of integrity,’ the 24-year-old says. ‘I’m looking forward to it. He’s great guy, a great person, a great individual, a great coach.’ 

Rodgers endured a miserable two seasons in New York as the Jets’ struggles continued

Gardner, who has publicly committed his future to the Jets, recently met the new head coach

‘He’s great guy, a great person, a great individual, a great coach,’ Gardner said of Glenn 

Glenn has returned home to the Jets, the team that drafted him all the way back in 1994. Just like Gardner, he was a cornerback. Just like Gardner, he was a first-round pick. Now, having helped transform the Detroit Lions, Glenn is back. Gardner, selected fourth overall out of Cincinnati in 2022, was named defensive rookie of the year. He is already a two-time Pro Bowler.

But the 24-year-old Detroit native has yet to play in the postseason. The hope? That wait is nearly over. His new head coach told supporters to ‘put your seatbelts on and get ready for the ride’.

The team are no closer yet to know who will be under center when the 2025 season begins, with the only quarterbacks on their roster being 35-year-old Tyrod Taylor, and two players who have never thrown a pᴀss in an NFL game – Adrian Martinez and Jordan Travis. And the top QB prospects in April’s draft, Miami’s Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders of Colorado, are likely to be off the board by the time the Jets select with the seventh overall pick.

Nevertheless, Gardner is convinced the Jets are approaching a corner. ‘I think we’re going to do a lot better than we’ve been doing,’ he says.

So what is his message to fans ahead of the 2025 season? ‘Just like AG said, it’s gonna be a fun ride,’ the cornerback begins. ‘We’re gonna bind to everything that he instills in us and everything that he brings to the program. And give it all we got.’