Latest news with #SauceGardner
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner says Justin Fields has been making Aaron Rodgers-level throws this offseason
Cornerback Sauce Gardner remembers preparing for the Pittsburgh Steelers last season. His New York Jets were set to hit the road for a Week 7 game against the perennial AFC North contender. It was up in the air whether the Steelers would start dual-threat Justin Fields or veteran Russell Wilson. Fields had gone 4-2 in six starts to begin the year while Wilson was sidelined with a calf injury. Advertisement "We didn't know if Justin was going to play or not and who was going to be the starter," Gardner, a two-time first-team All-Pro, recalled Wednesday on "The Pat McAfee Show." "We had to change the whole game plan for Justin, just for him to not even play that game, just for Russ to be the starter. So then we went back to the other game plan like the night before or something like that." Gardner added: "I don't know what disrespect [Justin] received, but in terms of the players and the teams, I feel like they always give him his respect that's needed." As Gardner mentioned, Wilson got the nod that weekend and finished out the season as the Steelers' QB1, occasionally giving way to Fields for mostly run plays designed to keep defenses on edge. Advertisement Fields, who previously had ups and downs as a three-year starter for the Chicago Bears, signed with Gardner's Jets in free agency this offseason. In March, the 2021 No. 11 overall pick inked a two-year, $40 million deal that includes $30 million in guaranteed money. "We got a new dawg in town," Gardner said on the "McAfee Show." "We got Justin Fields. He a dawg." Fields has flashed stardom at points of his four-season NFL career. When he was in Chicago, the 6-foot-3 signal-caller recorded the second-most rushing yards by a quarterback in single-season league history. He piled up 1,143 yards on the ground in 2022, trailing only two-time MVP Lamar Jackson, who tallied 1,206 rushing yards in 2019. During that 2022 season, Fields' second campaign with the Bears, he broke the single-game NFL record for rushing yards by a quarterback with a whopping 178 in a narrow, Week 9 loss to the Miami Dolphins. Advertisement But Fields — a Heisman Trophy finalist at Ohio State — never achieved the kind of passing consistency the Bears were hoping for. Granted Chicago didn't do a great job of setting Fields up for success, first personnel-wise and then scheme-wise, but Fields' throwing gave fans a roller coaster ride. He had two starts as a rookie in 2021 where he completed less than 40% of his passes. Fields had another in 2022. And, although he didn't have any of those in 2023, he still reached or eclipsed a 60% completion rate only seven times that season. His six starts in Pittsburgh, however, were encouraging enough for a quarterback-needy team like the Jets to take a chance on him this offseason. While he averaged fewer than seven yards per attempt in four of his games as QB1, he took care of the ball. Fields posted a 5:1 touchdown-to-interception ratio and rounded out the year with an improved 65.8% completion percentage. Fields took a step forward as a passer with the Steelers, and it sounds like he's taken a few more this offseason with the Jets. "There's only a certain amount of quarterbacks that can make," Gardner said, before heaping praise on Fields' arm, via the "McAfee Show." "I'm talking about throws on, like, Aaron [Rodgers'] type of level. When it comes to being able to squeeze those throws in there, I always thought Aaron was the best when it came to that. And it's like Justin had made a few throws where I'm like, 'OK, he really been in the lab, for real.' I could just tell." Advertisement Gardner just spent two seasons with Rodgers. The Jets went much younger with the 26-year-old Fields this offseason, and Gardner sees Fields' youth as an asset. "Him being younger as well, like me being able to say certain things and him being able to say certain things about each of our games — I can just tell he's been locked in, in terms of tape, in terms of the playbook, in terms of everything," Gardner said. "He getting to the facility early, being one of the last people to leave. He really been dialed in, trying to make those type of throws. He made a few throws in OTAs that I'm like, 'Yo, I did not know he was capable of making this throw.'" The pressure is on for Fields to impress in-game, too. With his third team in five seasons, the clock is ticking on the former first-round pick to put it all together. From Gardner's perspective, Fields has displayed that kind of urgency, plus heightened precision.
NBC Sports
6 hours ago
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Sauce Gardner: Weight, muscle I've put on makes me feel more explosive than ever
Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner is coming off a disappointing 2024 season and he discussed one of the changes he's made ahead of what he hopes will be a more productive 2025 campaign on Wednesday. Gardner made a visit to The Pat McAfee Show and said that he has added weight and muscle to his frame. Gardner is listed at 190 pounds, but said he's 10 pounds heavier right now and he shared the benefits that he's seen from the added size. '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.' Gardner is looking for a contract extension and reiterated that talks with the Jets are moving in the right direction. If a deal doesn't come together and Gardner's new look leads to better play on the field, that deal could turn out to be an even bigger one when it finally comes together.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Jets' Sauce Gardner cracks CBS Sports' top-100 NFL players in 2025
The New York Jets are turning the page in 2025 but CBS Sports sees one building block on the roster and it's Sauce Gardner. The cornerback was the lone Jets player named to the outlet's top-100 players heading into the 2025 NFL season. Advertisement Overall, Gardner landed at No. 24. Gardner is the second-ranked corner behind the Denver Broncos' Patrick Surtain II at ninth. Gardner, 24, was one of New York's first-round picks in 2022. He went on to earn the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Award and two first-team, All-Pro nods. The player and team are talking an extension and those conversations seem positive. However, New York would feel most comfortable seeing pen-to-paper happen soon. CBS Sports' breakdown on Gardner can be found below: Gardner's play fell off some in 2024, much like a lot of Jets, but it didn't fall that much. He needs to tackle better at times, but there is no doubt he is an outstanding cover corner. (Last season: No. 12) This article originally appeared on Jets Wire: Jets' Sauce Gardner cracks CBS Sports' top-100 NFL players in 2025
USA Today
a day ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Jets' Sauce Gardner cracks CBS Sports' top-100 NFL players in 2025
The New York Jets are turning the page in 2025 but CBS Sports sees one building block on the roster and it's Sauce Gardner. The cornerback was the lone Jets player named to the outlet's top-100 players heading into the 2025 NFL season. Overall, Gardner landed at No. 24. Gardner is the second-ranked corner behind the Denver Broncos' Patrick Surtain II at ninth. Gardner, 24, was one of New York's first-round picks in 2022. He went on to earn the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Award and two first-team, All-Pro nods. The player and team are talking an extension and those conversations seem positive. However, New York would feel most comfortable seeing pen-to-paper happen soon. CBS Sports' breakdown on Gardner can be found below: Gardner's play fell off some in 2024, much like a lot of Jets, but it didn't fall that much. He needs to tackle better at times, but there is no doubt he is an outstanding cover corner. (Last season: No. 12)
USA Today
2 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
5 most important players on the Jets defense in 2025
The New York Jets are attempting to improve a defense that finished 20th in points allowed (23.8) despite allowing the third-fewest yards per game (313.8). That responsibility belongs to new head coach Aaron Glenn and his hand-picked defensive coordinator Steve Wilks. Notable changes have been made to the defensive scheme. Jets Wire identified the five-most important players on the Jets' defense heading into 2025. CB Sauce Gardner Sauce Gardner is among the game's premier cornerbacks, but critics largely agree 2024 wasn't his best season. The former Cincinnati standout will continue being relied on to eliminate half the field. Gardner is a legitimate shutdown cornerback, but game-to-game consistency will be a bigger focus in 2025. EDGE Will McDonald IV Will McDonald IV broke out as a sophomore in 2024, totaling a team-high 10.5 sacks. He justified the Jets' once-controversial decision to select him at No. 15 overall. With injuries and depth questions at EDGE, the Jets require a repeat performance from McDonald. DT Quinnen Williams Quinnen Williams wasn't as effective in 2024. The typically dominant three-tech recorded his fewest tackles (37) since his 2019 rookie season (28). Williams' pass-rush-win-rate also dropped roughly five points, per Pro Football Focus. Coach Glenn will attempt to fully unlock his abilities. LB Jamien Sherwood Linebacker Jamien Sherwood was among the Jets' biggest pleasant surprises in 2024. The 2021 fifth-round pick recorded a workhorse 158 tackles, tying for third in the NFL in that department. The Jets signed Sherwood to a three-year extension worth $45 million earlier this offseason, so it's fair to say they bought into his breakout season. EDGE Jermaine Johnson Jermaine Johnson is attempting to recover from a brutal season-ending Achilles injury suffered in Week 2. New general manager Darren Mougey made the decision to exercise his fifth-year option despite the uncertainty. Johnson has been rehabbing vigorously this offseason and hopes to bounce back in 2025.
