Sooner or later after extending star broad receiver
Garrett Wilson, the Jets are signing All-Professional cornerback Sauce Gardner to a four-year, $120.4M contract extension, per Ian Rapoport, Mike Garafolo, and Tom Pelissero of NFL Community.
Gardner himself introduced on social media that an settlement had been reached. His deal has the identical construction as Wilson’s extension, per Schefter.
With a $30.1M AAV, Gardner is now the highest-paid cornerback within the NFL, beating out the $30M per 12 months deal signed by fellow 2022 first-rounder Derek Stingley Jr.
earlier this 12 months. Nevertheless, Gardner’s $85.653M in complete ensures (by way of ESPN’s Adam Schefter) don’t fairly attain Stingley’s $89M.
It is going to be fascinating to see the place the total ensures fall right here; Stingley holds that commonplace — with $48M — as properly. Gardner agreeing to a four-year deal ought to permit him to eclipse that quantity, as Stingley is tied to a three-year extension.
The Jets have now spent $250M within the final two days to lock down cornerstone gamers on either side of the ball in a stable begin for brand spanking new head coach Aaron Glenn and basic supervisor Darren Mougey. Previous offseasons in New York have been marked by quarterback drama and contract standoffs with key veterans, however the brand new regime prevented such pitfalls by signing Justin Fields early in free company and getting the Wilson and Gardner extensions accomplished earlier than coaching camp.
Mougey has now been a part of two record-setting cornerback extensions since September. The previous Broncos assistant GM was in place when the crew inked Patrick Surtain on a then-record $24M-per-year deal. Regardless of Surtain’s Defensive Participant of the Yr season, he has already fallen to fifth within the cornerback pecking order. This successfully illustrates timing, moderately than benefit, reigns in NFL contract issues. Gardner and Stingley do owe Surtain for breaking by means of the ice shaped over a two-plus-year interval on this market.
Previous to Surtain’s settlement, the CB market had not seen anybody high Jaire Alexander‘s four-year, $84M Packers pact — one agreed to in Could 2022. Corners have seen broad receivers transfer into a better tax bracket over the previous a number of years, and even safeties — by way of Antoine Winfield Jr.‘s four-year, $84.1M accord — had handed them by final 12 months. However Surtain’s contract introduced a thaw, and Jalen Ramsey‘s third contract — one already traded — got here a day after the standout Broncos defender’s deal emerged.
This offseason then introduced Jaycee Horn to the $25M-per-year degree. The Panthers cowl man reached that place regardless of no All-Professional honors (to Surtain’s two). However the wage cap having jumped by one other $24M, after a report $30.6M spike in 2024, set the stage for an overdue market growth. In any case, Ja’Marr Chase elevated the WR ceiling previous $40M per 12 months in March. Stingley and Gardner have made important inroads for his or her place, creating a brand new tier when it comes to AAV this 12 months.
Professional Soccer Focus ranked Gardner first and third amongst CB regulars in 2022 and ’23, respectively, however noticed a drop-off in 2024. Though Gardner checked in thirty first on the superior metrics web site’s listing final 12 months, points together with his tackling have been obvious throughout a season that noticed Jeff Ulbrich‘s protection take a step again (twentieth in factors allowed). Gardner noticed his yards-per-target quantity rise from 6.0 to 9.3 from 2023 to ’24 — a non-Professional Bowl season — making a rebound alternative below Glenn. However Tuesday’s settlement confirmed the Jets’ new energy brokers didn’t must see how Gardner match into Glenn’s protection earlier than making a historic dedication.
The Jets had by no means wavered from their plan to pay Gardner, having let D.J. Reed stroll in free company (after extending Michael Carter on the decrease slot charge), and the crew eyed the post-draft interval because the window for true negotiations. Gardner had expressed curiosity in remaining a Jet long run, and the crew had made a proposal by mid-June. Though Mougey and Glenn introduced in Brandon Stephens at $12M each year in March, the crew is not going to let Gardner come near a contract 12 months. That is now the NFL’s solely crew with three eight-figure-per-year corners on the payroll.
New York had cooled on paying CBs since its whiffs on Darrelle Revis (the second stint) and Trumaine Johnson. However Gardner’s early-career type meant that sample wanted to finish. The crew’s chaotic 2024 has preceded a calmer ’25, as Aaron Rodgers is out and information of Woody Johnson meddling has drifted off the entrance burner. Wilson and Gardner’s paydays sign a willingness to reward Douglas-era draftees, and the strikes depart Jermaine Johnson — who’s coming off a season-ending harm — as the one member of the Jets’ 2022 first-round trio nonetheless on a rookie deal. Submit-Rodgers, Wilson and Gardner will likely be requested to be the franchise’s centerpiece gamers because it makes an attempt to finish the NFL’s longest lively playoff drought.
Sam Robinson contributed to this submit.
