In Addition To Having The Coolest Name In Football, Sauce Gardner Is Now The Highest-Paid Cornerback In NFL History

We're at the time of year when training camp is getting underway for teams across the NFL. That also means it's the time of year when teams and players agree to long-term extensions, hoping to avoid lengthy contract negotiations that spill over into the season (and sometimes lead to holdouts). We just saw the Kansas City Chiefs sign guard Trey Smith to a record-setting contract for an interior lineman; now, the New York Jets are giving cornerback Sauce Gardner a historic deal.

Gardner and the Jets agreed to a four-year, $120.4 million contract extension. The deal also includes $85.653 million guaranteed, per ESPN's Adam Schefter. Gardner, the fourth overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, will become the highest-paid cornerback in the league with a $30.1 million average annual value contract.

Coincidentally, Gardner edged out Houston Texans corner Derek Stingley Jr., who signed a three-year, $90 million deal in March. Stingley was selected one spot ahead of Gardner, but the latter will be making $100,000 more per season.

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With his new extension, Sauce Gardner leapfrogs the entire market to become the highest-paid cornerback in NFL history. Here's how his deal stacks up against other top contracts at the position:

• Sauce Gardner (Jets, 2025):

  4 years, $120.4 million — $30.1 million AAV — $85.7 million guaranteed

• Derek Stingley Jr. (Texans, 2025):

  3 years, $90 million — $30 million AAV

• Jaire Alexander (Packers, 2022):

  4 years, $84 million — $21 million AAV — $31 million guaranteed

• Denzel Ward (Browns, 2022):

  5 years, $100.5 million — $20.1 million AAV — $71.25 million guaranteed

• Jalen Ramsey (Rams, 2020):

  5 years, $100 million — $20 million AAV — $71.2 million guaranteed

Gardner, a two-time All-Pro, still had two seasons remaining on his rookie contract, the second of which was a player option worth $20.2 million guaranteed. This extension will kick in beginning with the 2027 season, meaning Gardner is locked in with the Jets through 2030.

That's also the case of wide receiver Garrett Wilson, who inked a four-year, $130 million deal one day before Gardner agreed to his extension. Wilson will become one of the highest-paid receivers in the NFL.

In his debut season, Gardner won the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year award. He also became the first cornerback since 1970 to earn first-team All-Pro honors in his first two seasons, and just the third defensive player to accomplish that feat, joining Lawrence Taylor and Micah Parsons.

The Aaron Rodgers experiment didn't work out, but the Jets now have two young stars on their roster for several years. They're still likely not a championship team this season, though that long-term foundation paired with other moves could help them return to the Super Bowl this decade—somewhere they haven't been since 1969.