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Jets History: How Sauce Gardner Just Shocked NFL
Oct 14, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner (1) reacts to a call during the first half against the Buffalo Bills at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Lucas Boland-Imagn Images Lucas Boland-Imagn Images

The New York Jets made history on Tuesday.

After months of rumors, the Jets have signed superstar cornerback Sauce Gardner to a record-breaking deal. Gardner broke the news himself on social media.

There aren't many people who have come into the NFL and have had the success that Gardner has been able to have, especially at such a young age. Gardner has played three seasons and has been named to the First-Team All-Pro twice and Pro Bowl twice. He's arguably the No. 1 cornerback in the entire National Football League and now he's getting paid like it. With a four-year, $120.4 million deal, Gardner now has the highest average annual value in his deal than any other corner in NFL history at $30.1 million per year.

"The highest-paid CBs in the NFL on a per-year basis are now: Sauce Gardner: $30.1M," ESPN's Adam Schefter said. "Derek Stingley Jr.: $30M. Jaycee Horn: $25M. Jalen Ramsey: $24.1M. Patrick Surtain: $24M."

The Jets have had fantastic back-to-back days. On Monday, the Jets signed Garrett Wilson to a long-term extension and now have found a way to ink Gardner to a long-term deal as well.

New York has been clear since the hiring of Aaron Glenn and Darren Mougey that the franchise wants to build from within and this is how you do it. Gardner and Wilson are foundational pieces and now aren't going anywhere in the near future. There's still more work to do, but this is how to build a roster.


This article first appeared on New York Jets on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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