Jets make Sauce Gardner the NFL’s highest-paid cornerback with a $120.4M extension, AP source says

By Canadian Press on July 15, 2025.

NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Jets are making Sauce Gardner the highest-paid cornerback in the NFL.

The Jets and Gardner agreed on a four-year, $120.4 million extension through the 2030 season, according to a person familiar with the situation. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Tuesday because the agreement had not been announced.

The contract paying the two-time All-Pro an average of $30.1 million a year comes a day after the Jets agreed to a lucrative extension with top wide receiver Garrett Wilson. That deal is worth $130 million, as the organization locked up two foundational players for the long-term future.

Gardner, who turns 25 before Week 1, was the No. 4 pick in the 2022 draft out of Cincinnati. He established himself as one of the league’s top cornerbacks during his first two professional seasons, including being selected the AP Defensive Rookie of the Year.

After a down year by his standards, he is out to prove naysayers wrong, saying he has always been an underdog. After recently declining to say whether he wanted to be the richest player at the position, Gardner now has that distinction.

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AP Pro Football Writer Dennis Waszak Jr. contributed to this report.

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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

Stephen Whyno, The Associated Press