NFL defensive rookie of the year Sauce Gardner is looking to evolve further after his breakthrough season after sharing a moment with Aaron Rodgers over dinner.
The 22-year-old out of Cincinnati was the fourth overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, but now has Super Bowl aspirations with the New York Jets. Gardner was one of the main Jets players publicly pushing for Aaron Rodgers to trade away from the Green Bay Packers and join the franchise, and he got his wish.
Rodgers has impressed fans in training, sharing a shredded physique even at the age of 39 as the four-time MVP is clearly taking this move extremely seriously. And Gardner is feeling confident about things too, after sharing a special moment with Rodgers over dinner.
"There's no pressure when it comes to playing in New York, you've got to tell yourself, 'I'm built for this.' Me and Aaron, we caught ourselves, telling each other like, 'I'm built for this.' We had that one-on-one moment when we were eating dinner," Gardner revealed.
Gardner has been fully behind Rodgers since even before the quarterback moved to New York, sending him public messages on social media and even private texts. Gardner finally convinced Rodgers to trade, and the pair have grown close on and off the field.
Rodgers has also helped Gardner realise his potential, and now the 22-year-old is confident the Jets can go all the way. "It was pretty cool, you know, like always,” Gardner told The Detroit News. "You always have something to work on. I got a lot of things I can work on that’s going to get better coming into my second season. I had a pretty good year.
"I want to win a Super Bowl," Gardner said. "I want to be the best teammate I can be. Not just my personal goals but I just want to be more team-oriented. I just want to be the best teammate I can be to help my team win."
Gardner also revealed Rodgers has offered to help him make specific improvements, and promised to pass on all the wisdom he has. "He was telling me he's going to be able to help me out, tell me how teams are going to attack me, tell me the things I can work on as a cornerback," Gardner said to ESPN.
"He was telling me he's got the secret gems that he can just give me. Just hearing that from him made me respect him even more. Yeah, man, he's a great guy. I wasn't expecting that. I'm looking forward to being able to just sit down and watch a film and tell him what we're trying to do and he can tell us what they're trying to do on offense."
