The Robert Saleh Jets don’t need Joe Namath to make this guarantee: Success will not spoil Sauce Gardner.
“Me to me is not good enough,” Gardner said Friday after Day 2 at Jets training camp.
“Coach Saleh’s been talking about it lately. Our main emphasis is like, ‘Now what?’ I did this, I did that, I got this award, got that — now what? What am I gonna do next? Just like when I’m on the field, if I do my job, now what? What else can I do to just help me get better, and help me improve? That’s probably the main thing — not getting satisfied, not being complacent with the things that I’ve done.”
Success didn’t spoil the young Darrelle Revis, and it is not lost on Gardner that Revis will be entering the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, on Aug. 5.
“He was a guy that I was always watching,” Gardner said. “Just to see him go into the Hall of Fame, that’s just great motivation. That’s a true blessing for him, and it’s great for the Jets organization in general.”
Gardner took baby steps towards Canton with Defensive Rookie of the Year honors in 2022.
He understands Defensive Player of the Year is a long shot for a cornerback who is wisely tested infrequently by quarterbacks, but he has never been afraid to reach for the stars.
Sauce Gardner (1) led the NFL with 20 passes defended as a rookie. Getty Images“I just remember when I was young, I used to want something specifically, and it wouldn’t go that way, probably because I was too small, and probably because of different things,” Gardner said. “When I was finally fortunate to achieve certain things, it was always like, ‘All right, I used to get counted out for this.’ So now, like from this point moving forward, I want this, this and that. I’m not perfect, so I’m probably not gonna achieve all the stuff that I want to achieve right then and there, but I’m always gonna have another opportunity.”
Now what, indeed.
“The beautiful thing about him is he’s another one of those intrinsically motivated individuals,” Saleh said. “I mean he cares, but I think he looks at it as motivation that he was Defensive Rookie of the Year, I think he wants more, so he’s got a great mindset that whatever mountain he climbs, he’s looking for the next highest one, and if he goes out and just does the best he can, it’ll be good enough.”
Sauce Gardner poses for a photo after winning Defensive Rookie of the Year during NFL Honors on February 9, 2023. Getty ImagesAsk Gardner if he considers himself the best cornerback in the league and his answer speaks volumes about the man.
“I always think I’m the best at everything I do,” he said. “I’m going into my second year, so I really just can’t say that, because it’s about what you do every week, it’s about what you do every year. So I can’t say which cornerback I think is the best. It’s another year, and it’s another year for all the cornerbacks to prove how good they are.”
The proving ground never stops for the great ones.
“If I’m not perfect at something, then I consider it a weakness,” Gardner said. “I worked on everything — press footwork, off footwork, off mechanics, going to get the ball, lean and locate, being more physical in the run game, block shed. I worked on literally any and everything you could think of.”
It goes without saying that he is a coach’s dream.
“My coach told me if you could do something the right way 10,000 times, that’s how you master it,” Gardner said. “I have a purpose when I’m training.”
Even as he is driven to win a Super Bowl with Aaron Rodgers at the controls, Gardner won’t try to be Superman in any quest for DPOY.
“I can’t try to be a superhero, try to do stuff that is not in my job description,” he said. “Just be the best version of me. If I’m the best version of myself, then I can get the job done.”
Sauce Gardner (1) represented the New York Jets in the Pro Bowl following his Rookie of the Year campaign. Getty ImagesHe has too much class and character to even make the effort to shut down the out-of-bounds and ill-advised haters on social media.
“Some people hate,” Gardner said. “It’s weird to me. When we watch different corners, we just try to find ways to get better off their film. We’re not knocking anybody. … Me personally, I just wasn’t raised like that. I can’t control what other people do. I got a lot of other stuff that motivates me.”
Such as?
“Where I come from [Detroit] … my mom … my family … getting a Super Bowl my second year … that’s something minor right there,” Gardner said.
What a year this has been for Sauce Gardner: his own sauce, Sauce Sauce, with Buffalo Wild Wings … a documentary … a Sports Illustrated cover.
Success came too hard and fast for former Jets defensive end Mark Gastineau.
It won’t bottle up this Sauce.
“We’re playing in New York, there’s gonna be a lot of attention, a lot of cameras, a lot of hype,” he said.
“It’s just been a huge test for me. I love getting tested. Being able to just showcase how humble I am, ’cause I like to stay grounded. That’s why I feel like it’s just great to play in the New York market, to be able to just showcase my talent, and showcase me on and off the field.”
Aaron Rodgers and Sauce Gardner attend Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals between the New York Knicks and the Miami Heat at Madison Square Garden on May 2, 2023. Getty ImagesHe has become fast friends with Rodgers, and is looking forward to being tested by him in practice. Now what?
“I actually got a surprise for him,” Gardner said. “I think he’ll like it. It’s probably not his style all the way, but I feel like it’s gonna be good since he’s in New York now.”
Why a gift for Rodgers?
“To welcome him to New York, ya know what I mean?” Gardner said.
The kid’s too good to be true.



