Sauce Gardner and the New York Jets have had a season to forget. The AFC East team came into this season with high expectations, but many things went wrong for them.
Gardner hasn’t had a good season on a personal level and has faced criticism from fans throughout the campaign. He recently commented on Tee Higgins’ post on Instagram, in which the Jets star replied to a fan asking him to recruit the Cincinnati Bengals wideout to the Jets.
The 24-year-old cornerback rejected the request to ask Higgins to join his team, and it sparked a lot of reactions from fans on social media.
Fans React to Latest Comments From Sauce Gardner
In reply to the fan’s request to recruit Higgins to the Jets, Gardner replied, “I will not be telling him that.” Fans on social media thought the two-time Pro Bowler was throwing shade at his own team.
Here are some of the reactions:
the Jets are such a dumpster fire that other dumpster fires are jealous
— Nik Atanackovic (@Nik_Atanackovic) December 29, 2024
“The Aaron Rodgers trade has been a DISASTER,” said a fan.
“Even the Jets are sick of the Jets,” said another fan.
Things are not going well in East Rutherford NJ
— Ryan Reynolds (@RyanReynoldsNFL) December 29, 2024
“He’s a good man for making sure Tee doesn’t go to Hell,” wrote a fan.
“Might be the worst organization in the league right now,” said another fan about the Jets.
He knows that place is hell 😭😭 https://t.co/HnM6AxI0WO
— Hunter (@Carroll22__) December 29, 2024
There have been many controversies surrounding the Jets’ franchise this year, especially around owner Woody Johnson and QB Rodgers. Gardner’s comment about Higgins was overblown as it was taken out of context, but regardless of that, the Jets cornerback should be aware of how his words can be twisted to spin a bad narrative about the team he plays for.
New York is 4-12 on the season and is coming off a brutal 40-14 loss to the Buffalo Bills in Week 17. The fans were already upset with how Rodgers played in that game, and Gardner’s comment going viral after the loss resulted in the cornerback facing backlash on social media.
Gardner Clears Air on Controversial Comment
The Jets cornerback clarified his comments about not recruiting Higgins to the Jets via a story on Instagram. “We got G [Garrett Wilson] & Tae [Davante Adams] already, so it’s no chance of it happening, so that’s why I said ‘I will not tell him that,'” wrote Gardner. “There ya’ll go.”
Higgins will be a free agent after this season, assuming he does not get franchise-tagged, and could approach close to $30 million in annual average salary with his new contract. It will be tough for the Jets to get him alongside the duo of Wilson and Adams, so Gardner rejected recruiting the Bengals star.
Sauce Gardner response to his viral comment on Tee Higgins IG #Jets pic.twitter.com/MWejsYisAq
— Matt O'Leary (@MattOLearyNY) December 29, 2024
In the past, Gardner had often recruited players via his social media platforms like his X (formerly known as Twitter) account, including Rodgers. Since the general mood around the franchise is not fun, he knows it will be better to stay away from those types of conversations.
Rodgers’ future with the Jets is uncertain, as the team could release the four-time NFL MVP to keep Wilson on the roster. Per recent reports, the star wide receiver could hand in a trade request if Rodgers is the team’s quarterback in 2025, and it might force the franchise into parting ways with the legendary quarterback. It will be interesting to see if Adams will continue to play for the Jets if Rodgers ends up getting released by the team.