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The New York Jets will wrap up yet another dismal season in Week 18’s home game against the Miami Dolphins. While Sunday will mark the official end of the Jets’ 2024 campaign, cornerback Sauce Gardner believes some of his teammates are already checked out following a brutal loss to the Buffalo Bills in Week 17. Now the All-Pro defensive back will miss the season finale with his own early exit.
The Jets moved Gradner to injured reserve on Saturday, according to NFL insider Ian Rapoport on X. The third-year corner has been dealing with a nagging hamstring injury for several weeks.
Gardner injured his hamstring in Week 13’s loss to the Seattle Seahawks. The strain then forced him to sit out against the Dolphins the following week. It was just the second game he missed in his three-year career. Now the injury will cost Gardner another game.
The two-time Pro Bowler had a down season, recording career-low marks in games played (15), total tackles (49), and passes defended (9). He recorded one sack and one interception this year. The pick ended a long drought for Gardner. His game-sealing Week 15 interception against the Jacksonville Jaguars was his first since Week 9 of the 2022 season.
Sauce Gardner’s third season with the Jets ends in disappointment
The Jets got wrecked by the Bills in last Sunday’s 40-14 rout. The embarrassing loss hit Gardner hard. With the team at 4-12 and long since eliminated from the playoffs, it wouldn’t make sense for the star defender to gut out an injury in the season finale.
Expectations were sky high in New York this year, making the grim reality of the 2024 campaign all the more painful. Even with a healthy Aaron Rodgers, the Jets failed to impress, missing the postseason for the 14th consecutive year, the longest drought in professional sports.
The team fired head coach Robert Saleh and GM Joe Douglas as the franchise’s remarkable dysfunction became front page news. Rodgers couldn’t deliver despite being surrounded by a bunch of familiar faces from his Green Bay days. Now the veteran quarterback could retire after the season. While he plans to take some time to decide on his future, it’s unlikely that he returns to the Jets.
Meanwhile, New York has begun its search for a new head coach. The team interviewed Mike Vrabel on Friday and will meet with former coach Rex Ryan next week. The Jets have also expressed interest in speaking with Arthur Smith and Kliff Kingsbury.
More must-reads:
- Steelers receive massive Aaron Rodgers injury update ahead of Bears game
- Cowboys' Jerry Jones has made a decision about George Pickens
- The 'NFL QB rushing TD leaders' quiz
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Steelers work out two QBs amid Aaron Rodgers injury
With Aaron Rodgers dealing with a left wrist injury, the Pittsburgh Steelers worked out veteran quarterbacks Jason Bean and Tanner Mordecai on Tuesday, per Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio. The Steelers currently have three quarterbacks on their 53-man roster and zero on their practice squad. Backup Mason Rudolph, and third-stringer Will Howard will both move up a spot on the depth chart for at least a week, leaving the Steelers without a third option should either of them get injured. Bean, 26, signed with the Colts as an undrafted free agent out of the University of Kansas in 2024. He did not make the 53-man roster, but stuck around on the practice squad for the entire season. He was waived during final roster cuts this year and did not draw practice squad interest from the Colts or any other team. Mordecai is also a 26-year-old who entered the NFL as an undrafted rookie in 2024. Mordecai finished his college career at Wisconsin and signed with the 49ers last spring. He spent the season on San Francisco’s practice squad and was repeatedly cut and re-signed during training camp as the team balanced their other roster needs. He was waived due to injury a final time during roster cuts. The Steelers did not sign Bean or Mordecai, though that could be coming in the next few days as they continue to assess Rodgers’ wrist. They could also work out other available quarterbacks later this week.
Scotland media react to Scott McTominay display vs Denmark
Scott McTominay’s reinvention since leaving Manchester United has been one of the major stories of the last 18 months in European football. The midfielder has managed, in a single season, to transform himself into the driving force of the Napoli side that went on to win Serie A and restore their status among Italy’s elite. Having swapped Old Trafford for the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona in 2024, he quickly became a focal point in Antonio Conte’s system and finished his debut campaign as the league’s Most Valuable Player after steering Napoli to the title. McTominay made 36 appearances for Napoli in 2024/25, scoring 13 goals and registering four assists, comfortably the best return of his senior career, sealing a Ballon d’Or nomination. However, this season has been more challenging for the Scotland international. Opposition sides have clearly adjusted to his late runs and aerial presence, while Napoli themselves have not found the same rhythm. McTominay has still chipped in with goals, but with only a handful of strikes so far and more time spent shuttling between roles than dominating games. Unfortunately it seems the form that lit up Italy has been harder to rediscover, a trend that had also been visible with Scotland after Euro 2024. That backdrop is what made Tuesday night at Hampden so significant. With Scotland needing to beat Denmark to leapfrog them and reach the 2026 World Cup, Steve Clarke’s side arrived into a tense, almost wary atmosphere. However, Scott McTominay took matters into his own hands, opening the scoring inside three minutes. Attacking a cross from Ben Gannon-Doak, the former United midfielder adjusted his body and sent an acrobatic overhead effort skidding into the bottom corner. The finish instantly shifted the mood inside Hampden and reminded everyone why Napoli built their title-winning midfield around him. He raced towards the main stand, arms outstretched, as team-mates piled in behind him and the stadium erupted. The Herald’s reaction to the goal described it as a goal: “which will live long in the memory of everyone who was fortunate enough to witness it”. However, from there, Scotland were forced to suffer. A lengthy VAR check eventually handed Denmark a penalty, converted by Rasmus Hojlund, before the visitors went down to ten men and the game descended into chaos. Lawrence Shankland, Patrick Dorgu, Kieran Tierney and Kenny McLean traded goals in a breathless finale that finally ended 4-2 to Clarke’s side. For Scotland, the result ends 28 years of waiting and confirms their place at a World Cup finals for the first time since 1998, with Clarke writing himself into national folklore. For Scott McTominay, it is another landmark in a career that, unfortunately for Manchester United fans, has accelerated since leaving Old Trafford.
Quinnen Williams calls out teammates after Cowboys debut
The Dallas Cowboys just got a glimpse of life with their new star. DT Quinnen Williams had a debut for the ages, and while the Las Vegas Raiders don't have the best offensive line by any means, it was still an encouraging sign. Per PFF, the former New York Jet finished the game with seven pressures, 1.5 sacks and a 21.4 percent pass rush win rate. However, as good as he was, he knew it was going to take much more than just him to turn the Cowboys' season around. Quinnen Williams wants everybody to do their jobs Following the win, Williams put his teammates on notice by stating that it would take a collective effort to take care of business. "I don't think one guy could change anything," Williams said, per the Cowboys' website. "I think the team itself, the guys around you, all eleven on the field, the coaching staff, in general, makes the difference. One man don't [change] nothing. This is not golf. It's not tennis. Everybody on his team has to do the job. Everybody in this organization has to do a job to the best of their ability to win games." The Cowboys added Williams to the mix to fix their perennial woes against the run. They held the Raiders to just 27 rushing yards, and while that might not be sustainable, it was certainly an encouraging sign. Brian Schottenheimer's team is now 4-5-1 for the season and can still make a late-season push for the playoffs, so long as everybody else also steps up like their new star.
Senators are the clear winner in trade with Flyers
Good news for Ottawa Senators fans, as the franchise accelerated its timeline to be competitive in the 2025-26 season following the official announcement of a trade on Monday. Ottawa and Philadelphia have swapped two defensemen. The Senators acquire Dennis Gilbert, while the Flyers receive Maxence Guenette. "We’ve acquired defenseman Maxence Guenette from Ottawa in exchange for defenseman Dennis Gilbert. We have also agreed to terms with Guenette on a one-year, two-way contract," the Flyers announced. Why Dennis Gilbert is a perfect fit for the Senators' blue line The Senators didn't just make a trade; they plugged a hole on their blue line. Gilbert, 29, can enter the lineup immediately or be the first call-up to cover injuries, back-to-backs, and PK, without a steep learning curve. The defenseman has NHL experience with 111 games in six seasons, so he's a safer bet to integrate into the lineup than a prospect who hasn't yet proven himself at the highest level. Gilbert fits seamlessly under the salary cap and allows them to move pieces on the blue line without sacrificing picks or cap space. He signed for one year with the Senators with a cap hit of $875,000. Furthermore, he will improve the baseline play of the third pair and reliably handle five-on-five and PK minutes in emergency scenarios. Ottawa traded an RFA for a player who can contribute from day one. Gilbert's physical but disciplined game fits coach Travis Green's needs. So, the Senators turned a future lottery ticket into a known commodity. Guenette, 24, needed minutes in the NHL and a clear pathway. The Senators could not offer him that and opted for more roster certainty.
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