Ahmad "Sauce" Gardner (born August 31, 2000) is an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

cornerback A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such offensive running plays as sweeps and reverses. They create tur ...

for the New York Jets of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL). He played college football at

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

and was selected fourth overall by the Jets in the 2022 NFL Draft.

Early years

Gardner was born on August 31, 2000, in

Detroit, Michigan Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at ...

, later attending Martin Luther King Jr. Senior High School. He played wide receiver and

in high school. In the Division 3 State Championship, Gardner caught four passes for 126 yards and two touchdowns. After the season, Gardner was named a first-team All-State selection at defensive back by the

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...

. He was a three-star recruit, ranked the nation’s 163rd cornerback prospect, and committed to play college football at the

University of Cincinnati The University of Cincinnati (UC or Cincinnati) is a public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio. Founded in 1819 as Cincinnati College, it is the oldest institution of higher education in Cincinnati and has an annual enrollment of over 44,0 ...

College career

In 2019, his true freshman season, Gardner played in 11 games. He had 31 tackles and three interceptions, two of which he returned for touchdowns. He also tallied 11 passes defended and eight pass breakups. After the season, Gardner was the only true freshman named to the American Athletic Conference first-team. As a sophomore in 2020, Gardner began the season atop the depth chart as a starter. As a junior, Gardner was named a consensus All-American and helped Cincinnati become the first Group of 5 team to reach the

College Football Playoff The College Football Playoff (CFP) is an annual postseason knockout invitational tournament to determine a national champion for the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), the highest level ...

. Gardner declared for the 2022 NFL Draft following his junior season.

Professional career

Gardner was selected fourth overall by the New York Jets in the 2022 NFL Draft. He signed his four-year rookie contract, worth $38.7 million fully guaranteed, on May 7, 2022. During Week 5 against the

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team p ...

, Gardner made a hit on

Teddy Bridgewater Theodore Edmond Bridgewater Jr. (born November 10, 1992) is an American football quarterback for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL). Born and raised in Miami, Florida, he graduated from Miami Northwestern high school ...

that led to an intentional grounding penalty for a safety. He also made his first career interception as the Jets won 40-17. In Week 7, Gardner had 10 tackles and three pass breakups in a 16-9 win over the

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquar ...

, earning AFC Defensive Player of the Week. In 2022, Gardner was selected for the

Pro Bowl The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (starting in 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's star players. The format has changed thro ...

, becoming one of only two rookies selected that year; the other being

Tariq Woolen Tariq Deion Woolen (born May 2, 1999) is an American football cornerback for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at UTSA and was drafted by the Seahawks in the fifth round of the 2022 NFL Dra ...

of the Seattle Seahawks.

NFL career statistics

Personal life

Gardner took the nickname "Sauce", from a youth football coach at age six due to his ability on the field. In 2022, he partnered with the sports bar chain

Buffalo Wild Wings Buffalo Wild Wings (originally Buffalo Wild Wings & Weck, hence the nickname BDubs, or BW3) is an American casual dining restaurant and sports bar franchise in the United States, Canada, India, Mexico, Panama, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, a ...

to endorse a sweet and spicy barbecue sauce known as the "Sauce sauce".

Notes

References

External links

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New York Jets bioCincinnati Bearcats bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gardner, Sauce 2000 births Living people Martin Luther King High School (Detroit) alumni Players of American football from Detroit American football cornerbacks Cincinnati Bearcats football players All-American college football players New York Jets players American Conference Pro Bowl players