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Cornerback Sauce Gardner and wide receiver Garrett Wilson are two of the Jets best players.
And they are a better team with both of these guys around, for now and for the long term.
Word is the organization is working on lucrative extensions for both players.
That is fine, but one thing I don’t get is all the praise being heaped on each player for attending the team’s off-season program.
At the Jets’ mandatory minicamp last week, Gardner was asked, “So there are a lot of people that probably would be in your position that wouldn’t be here, you know, that they’d be waiting for the contract situation to be taken care of. What made it important for you to show up?”
Why did he show up?
Because he should show up. He’s under contract, and essentially has two years left on his rookie deal with the fourth year of his initial NFL deal coming up this season, and the fifth-year option, which was picked up. You could say he’s locked up for even longer than that with the franchise tag option.
But obviously, they are not going to wait that long to do a new deal. It’s probably going to be done over the next few months, and that is fine. He’s a hell of player.
Same with Wilson, who was asked, “Some players who were eligible for new contacts wouldn’t do that, they would just stay away to make a statement, why have you been here because obviously you are eligible for a new contract, why did did you chose to be here.”
What does “eligible” mean?
The Meriam-Webster definition of that word is, “A person or thing that is qualified or permitted to do or be something:Â one that is eligible for something.”
Theoretically, he’s not “eligible” for a new contract. Like Gardner, he’s under contract for the next two years with the fourth year of his rookie deal and the fifth-year option.
So he’s not “eligible” for anything.
I’m not saying he doesn’t deserve it, I’m just saying he’s not “eligible.” That isn’t a word I would use here.
Remember, the organization, in 2020, told safety Jamal Adams, they didn’t believe in extending first-round picks after three years, choosing to wait until after the fourth year, and that led to a messy contract dispute and a trade.
Some people will be quick to say that was a different GM, Joe Douglas, but when it comes to money matters, the GM doesn’t operate on an island – ownership is always involved. If ownership had told Douglas, “Pay Jamal now,” of course, he would have done it.
Wilson was also asked, “The losing really seemed to take a toll on you, the last two years or so, what made you reinvigorated, ready to go and do this again, and not it’s too much, I can’t do this again.”
What was he going to do, quit football and join the Foreign Legion?
Wilson gave the perfect answer – “It’s a blessing to do what I do.”
The point here is simple – let’s not make Gardner and Wilson into patron saints for showing up to the Jets’ off-season program.
And it should be pointed out that none of this is criticism of either player. They didn’t create this narrative.
All they did was the right thing.
Show up and get to work with a new coaching staff.
If other players, on other teams, don’t show up to off-season workouts and the mandatory minicamp, with two years left on their rookie contracts, that is their problem.
But showing up in this situation shouldn’t merit a ticker-tape parade for the players who do so.
June 19, 2025
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