Jets' Sauce Gardner names best cornerback in NFL

Ahmad "Sauce" Gardner of the New York Jets was directly asked Friday if he believes he's already the best cornerback in the NFL today. 

"Me personally, I would say that," Gardner confidently responded, according to Alex Smith of SNY. "I always think I’m the best at everything I do, but I’m going into my second year. I can’t really just say that because it’s about what you do every week, it’s about what you do every year." 

Gardner originally joined the Jets as the No. 4 overall pick of the 2022 NFL Draft and thus far has been nothing short of a steal at that value. The 22-year-old recorded 75 total tackles and a pair of interceptions en route to earning Defensive Rookie of the Year honors, but those stats only tell part of the story regarding his stellar play last season. 

For a piece published on Jan. 18, Sam Monson of Pro Football Focus noted that Gardner "was arguably the best cornerback in the NFL at the first time of asking" and was responsible for "the best single-season (coverage grade) PFF has given to a full-time outside cornerback in the past 17 years of grading" (90.2). 

Gardner made it known he's chasing a Most Valuable Player Award even though he understands he'll likely fall short of that goal. 

"I don’t think that’s going to happen, not that I’m going to doubt myself, but reaching for the stars for something like that helps other stuff fall in line," he said. 

Gardner is just one reason teammates such as linebacker C.J. Mosley think the Jets can have the best defense in the NFL for the upcoming season and a unit capable of helping the club win Super Bowl LVIII. Unsurprisingly, Gardner shares Mosley's confidence. 

"I feel like we have it, we have the men that we need, but we just have to keep communicating, keep finding ways to get better, keep playing to the ball," Gardner said about New York's defense. 

Expectations for the 2023 Jets are sky-high due largely to having future Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers as their starting quarterback. Gardner didn't shy away from that reality and said Friday his "main focus is being a better teammate and doing whatever I can so that we can win a Super Bowl." 

Rodgers hasn't yet officially committed to playing beyond this coming January or February, so Gardner and other young Jets players must embrace a "win now" mentality before the regular-season opener against the Buffalo Bills on Sept. 11.