Amidst all the pain and disappointment in the Meadowlands during the 2023-24 season, Sauce Gardner has been a bright spot for New York Jets fans. His defensive prowess has been harder to appreciate this year, following the massive Aaron Rodgers blow the franchise was dealt on Monday Night Football in Week 1, but his latest feat is truly something to behold.

The star cornerback has been named as a Pro Bowl starter for the second straight year. While that would normally just hold the interest of Jets and Cincinnati Bearcats supporters, Gardner is in elite company after earning this selection.

The 2022 All-Pro and Defensive Rookie of the Year joins Lawrence Taylor, Derrick Thomas, Shawne Merriman, Von Miller and Micah Parsons as the only defensive players to start a Pro Bowl in each of the first two seasons of their career, per NYJ Communications.

Jets fans can at least count on Sauce Gardner

 

Entering such a category of elite talent foretells quite the trajectory for Gardner. The former No. 4 overall pick has not been the phenomenon he was in 2022, but he is still a menace in the secondary.

Despite not yet recording an interception this season, he has 10 passes defensed, 53 combined tackles, one forced fumble and two tackles for loss, while allowing a 78 passer rating, per Pro Football Focus. Although his impact has definitely been felt by the rest of the NFL, the 6-10 Jets are ending the 2023-24 campaign mountains away from the playoff picture.

Sauce Gardner is a building block for what should be a brighter future for the organization, but there are plenty of questions that still need to be answered. Can Aaron Rodgers stay on the field and out of the news? Will the offensive line keep from imploding? And will more talent be added on offense?

Addressing all of those objectives is bound to be stressful for the front office. Though, knowing that Sauce Gardner has an opportunity to become a transcendent star should limit the number of restless nights general manager Joe Douglas has this offseason.