Jets' Sauce Gardner Reveals Muscle Move Amid Contract Talks
New York Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner is coming off what was for him a disappointing 2024 season - all things being relative, of course - and he is now revealing his plan to get better ...
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By getting bigger.
Gardner is listed at 190 pounds, and that has generally worked for him as he's been a Pro Bowl-level performer from the very start of his young career. But he is now telling The Pat McAfee Show on ESPN that he has added good weight and muscle to his frame. ....
And that he is now 10 pounds heavier than his previous playing weight.
'I'm not gonna lie, this offseason has been by far my best. . . . I feel great,' Gardner said. 'I'm sitting about 200 pounds right now and I don't think I've ever really played that heavy. But it's like the more weight I've put on, the more muscle, the more explosive and the faster I become with that muscle that I've put on.'
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Can more weight lead to more money?
That's part of the plan here, too.
Gardner is looking for a contract extension and has said that he believes that talks with the Jets are moving in the proper direction.
And even after a year he wishes to improve upon? There are some other numbers that do not lie.
In a recent article by PFF's John Kosko, he ranks who he believes are the top 32 cornerbacks in the league heading into the 2025 season. At the top spot in his list, he has Jets superstar Sauce Gardner.
"Gardner's 91.9 PFF coverage grade since 2022 leads the league. He has forced a league-high 46 incompletions and allowed a league-low 0.60 yards per cover snap and 21.4% first-down-plus-touchdown rate over that span," Kosko wrote. "Unsurprisingly, Gardner's PFF advanced coverage grade ranks first, as well. While he might not shadow opposing wide receivers at a high rate, he has excelled when asked to do so."
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Consider this ...
Gardner was named NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2022, as well as being named First Team All-Pro in both of his first two seasons. He also led the NFL in passes defended in his rookie year with 20, which goes to show just how good the 24-year-old corner already is.
He will be looking to bounce back from his slightly disappointing 2024 and prove that he is still worthy of the title of the best cornerback in the NFL. He will do it with 10 more pounds ... and with the going rate for superstar corners now inching toward $30 mil per year, maybe millions more in the bank.
Related: Jets 'Potential Landing Spot' For Ex-Cowboys $100 Million Receiver
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 2, 2025, where it first appeared.
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