Sauce Gardner says refs harder on him because Jets losing team

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Star cornerback Sauce Gardner believes the officials are picking on him, and he claimed it’s because the New York Jets are a losing team.

Gardner, penalized for pass interference in a 27-21 loss to the Miami Dolphins on Monday night, said he’s “personally frustrated.” It was the second straight week that he was flagged for pass interference.

“I watch football all the time, and I just feel like — I don’t know if this is wrong to say — but I think I get called for more stuff just based off of us not winning,” said Gardner, who signed a four-year, $120.4 million contract extension before training camp that made him the NFL’s highest-paid corner.

“I watch these winning programs, and there’d be some egregious things, and it don’t get called. They’re letting the players play.”

The Jets fell to 0-4 with a sloppy performance that included 13 penalties (nine on offense) and three lost fumbles. Gardner’s penalty (10 yards) came in the third quarter, with the Jets trailing 17-10. Gardner was in coverage on wide receiver Jaylen Waddle, who ran an in-cut. The pass to him was incomplete.

“I got caught on something today where it’s like, I know the route and everything and I’m just supposed to let him just push off at the top of route,” Gardner said. “I’m seeing him count the steps, all that. He’s not going to catch the ball regardless.

“I just feel like, in general, even the Mike Evans [penalty last week], I just feel like us not winning — it’s what goes on if we don’t win. I feel like we don’t get the calls that we should get, and we get the calls that we probably shouldn’t get called for.”

Gardner leads the team with four penalties (three accepted). Only four corners in the league have more penalties than Gardner. This is a continuing trend. In 2024, the former two-time All-Pro was flagged 10 times (nine accepted).

Coach Aaron Glenn was furious with the team’s discipline, and he ripped into the team in the locker room.

“[I] really have to take a look at these penalties, take a look at these turnovers and make sure we understand that we have to understand before you can win games, you have to learn how not to lose games,” he said. “We have to do a better job in that case, and we will.”