The Jets struck one big deal with a 2022 first-round pick on Monday and they got another one done on Tuesday.
NFL Media reports that cornerback Sauce Gardner has agreed to a four-year extension with the team. Wide receiver Garrett Wilson agreed to a deal of the same length on Monday, which leaves edge rusher Jermaine Johnson as their only 2022 first-round pick who has not gotten a second contract with the team.
Gardner also confirmed that the deal was done on social media.
Gardner’s deal is worth $120.4 million, which bumps him ahead of Derek Stingley of the Texans for the highest average annual salary among NFL cornerbacks. The deal includes $60 million in guaranteed money.
Gardner was the defensive rookie of the year in 2022 and he was named a first-team All-Pro after each of his first two seasons. His play dropped off during a dismal 2024 Jets season, but the deal suggests that the team’s new General Manager Darren Mougey and head coach Aaron Glenn believe that he will return to his previous form in the coming years.
