It’s been a busy week for Sauce Gardner. The New York Jets cornerback signed a new four-year, $120.4 million extension that made him the highest-paid player at his position in NFL history.
The Jets are clearly sold on Gardner as one of the faces of their franchise for years to come, but it appears not everyone around the NFL shares that belief.
ESPN released its annual cornerback rankings, compiled from anonymous votes by NFL executives, coaches, and scouts, on Thursday, and Gardner was ranked as just the fifth-best cornerback in the league. At least one evaluator even left him unranked, meaning they don’t consider him a top-10 cornerback at all.