Insider Reveals Contract Negotiations With Jets Stars

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Insider Reveals Contract Negotiations With Jets Stars originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The New York Jets are looking to lock down a pair of their best players, one on each side of the football. Both wide receiver Garrett Wilson and cornerback Sauce Gardner are extension eligible, heading into the final year of their rookie contracts.
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According to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, the Jets have begun talks with both players regarding extensions.
'I'm told they've had some preliminary talks, exchange of numbers, had all that fun stuff as far as new deals,' Fowler said during SportsCenter on Saturday morning. 'They've got five-to-six weeks to see if they can come to an agreement before training camp.'
Gardner and Wilson were present for mandatory minicamp this week, opposed to veterans such as Trey Hendrickson and T.J. Watt, who are threatening holdouts if new deals do not materialize.
'I just wanted to show my teammates and the coaches how much I'm bought into this,' Gardner said after Thursday's practice. 'I want to win. I want to be a part of changing the organization.'
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Gardner also confirmed on Thursday that his camp and the Jets have begun discussions.
'My main focus is being the best football player I can be,' Gardner said, 'but my team and the Jets have been talking, and I feel really good about how the talks have been going. I don't really want to get into the numbers.'
The Jets could take a page out of the Cincinnati Bengals' playbook and sign both players on the same day. After all, according to Gardner, he and Wilson are close, sharing goals and pushing one another to be better.
'Since Day 1, [Wilson and I] came here saying we have to push each other because we want to help the organization,' Gardner said. 'If you win in New York, it's big for your legacy individually, big for the organization. Fast-forward, we're going into Year 4 together, and we always talk about competing at practice and how we have to make each other better because we are the building blocks for this organization. We are the homegrown talent that [Aaron Glenn] talks about.'
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Glenn, the Jets' first year head coach, spoke a lot to the media about valuing young players and building a core from within. While he wasn't with the organization when Gardner and Wilson were drafted, he's taking the responsibility of cultivating homegrown talent personally. Glenn has personally challenged Gardner to be a leader in the locker room.
'Here's what I want Sauce to do, and here's what I'll talk to him about who, about who he needs to be,' Glenn said on Thursday, via the Jets' team website. 'When you do lead, just let your influence do all the talking. How do you operate in the huddle with the players in the locker room? That speaks more than the rah-rah guy, and he understands that, because influence, to me, is what, really, leadership is about. How do you influence your other teammates? How do you influence people around you, no matter what? And I think he's done a really good job of that.'
Glenn isn't the only Jets coach trying to challenge Gardner. After the Jets hired Steve Wilks as their new defensive coordinator, Wilks challenged Gardner to take his game to another level, a challenge that Gardner is taking on with open arms.
'I know I'm not perfect,' Gardner said, 'but the fact that [Wilks] is trying to get perfection out of me is what I need. I've had a lot of early success in the league, and the last thing I need is a new regime to come in here and allow me to be complacent — not saying that's who I am. It's great to have those types of guys who are going to demand a lot out of me and push me in ways I've never been pushed before.'
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This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 16, 2025, where it first appeared.