Jets Star Labeled 'Most Disrespected Player In The Entire Sport'

New York Jets superstar Sauce Gardner has been in the news constantly over the past few days.

On Tuesday, Gardner secured a landmark four-year, $120.4 million contract, making him the highest-paid cornerback in NFL history. The Jets view him as a cornerstone of their future, but not everyone in the league is as high on Gardner’s talent. ESPN's annual cornerback rankings, based on anonymous votes from NFL executives and scouts, placed Gardner fifth, with at least one voter omitting him from the top 10 entirely.

The criticism isn't just about his 2024 season, which was his weakest yet. Some evaluators reportedly questioned his performance over the past two years, including his stellar 2023 season, when he earned first-team All-Pro honors. That year, Gardner set a rare statistical benchmark, becoming the only cornerback since 2006 to allow fewer than 251 yards, face 51 or fewer targets, and log over 1,000 defensive snaps.

Since his 2022 debut, Gardner leads all cornerbacks in key metrics like coverage grade, catches allowed per game, and yards per coverage snap. Even in 2024, Gardner allowed the fewest catches among qualified cornerbacks.

The Jet Press’ Justin Fried wasn’t afraid to air out his reaction to the Gardner ranking on Thursday.

“There's no other way to say it — this is absolutely ridiculous,” Fried wrote. “And it’s time we talk about how Sauce Gardner might be the most disrespected player in the entire sport.”

“There is no logical universe where a player with Gardner’s coverage stats and accolades gets left off a top-10 list, unless the people voting didn’t do their homework or had some preconceived notions,” Fried continued. “And if some of them had issues with arguably the greatest statistical season by a cornerback in modern NFL history, maybe they shouldn’t be taken seriously in the first place. At the end of the day, Gardner will be laughing his way to the bank with his new extension. The Jets just locked up arguably the best cornerback in football through 2030, and they couldn’t be happier about it, even if “some evaluators” still haven’t caught on.”

Fried is correct. Dismissing a player with Gardner's resume as outside the top 10 defies logic. His new contract reflects his value, even if some evaluators remain inexplicably skeptical.