New York Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner is widely considered to be one of the best cornerbacks in the entire NFL. Entering his third season in the league, Gardner has already been to two Pro Bowls, been named First Team All-Pro twice, and won Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2022.
While he only has two interceptions in his career thus far, Gardner locks down his side of the field and has allowed just two touchdowns in coverage, one in each of his professional seasons.
In other words, Gardner is an elite cornerback who is young and will probably make life a nightmare for opposing quarterbacks and wide receivers for a very long time. When he becomes extension eligible in 2025, many expect him to be the highest-paid cornerback in the NFL.
And that price just went up.
The Denver Broncos Just Made Patrick Surtain II the Highest-Paid Cornerback in NFL History
Earlier today, it was reported that the Denver Broncos had agreed to a four-year contract extension with two-time Pro Bowl cornerback Patrick Surtain II. His deal, worth $96 million with $77.5 million guaranteed, makes him the highest-paid cornerback in NFL history.
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Sources: The #Broncos and star CB Patrick Surtain II have agreed to terms on a massive 4-year extension worth $96M — $24M per year.
The 24-year-old gets $77.5M guaranteed. The deal done by Tory Dandy of CAA makes Surtain the highest-paid DB in NFL history 💰 💰 💰 pic.twitter.com/ZU8YzmiTaj
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 4, 2024
Prior to the Surtain extension, Jaire Alexander of the Green Bay Packers was the highest-paid corner in the NFL with an average annual salary of $21 million. Surtain’s deal, which is worth $3 million more per year, does more than just pass Alexander, it completely resets the market for cornerbacks.
And Sauce Gardner knows that.
New York Jets Cornerback Sauce Gardner Reacts to Patrick Surtain II’s Contract
Not long after the news of Surtain’s extension was announced, Gardner posted the following on social media:
my dawg got that baggg🤑🤑🤑🤑🤑 https://t.co/SK5TQ4S7U4
— SAUCE GARDNER (@iamSauceGardner) September 4, 2024
Obviously, Gardner is plenty happy for Surtain for getting such a large contract. However, the post also is a reminder that soon, as early as next offseason, Gardner could reset the market yet again.
Surtain has completed just three seasons in the NFL. He still had another year on his rookie contract in addition to the fifth-year option all first-round picks have in their contracts. Still, the Broncos decided to give him a record-setting extension early.
One has to assume that, not only will Gardner be looking for the same kind of timing (that is, after three NFL seasons) for when he can sign his next deal, he will be looking for even more money.
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