Gardner signed a record-breaking contract extension this weeek.
The NFL cornerback market has been reset once again. After record deals signed by Jaycee Horn and Derek Stingley Jr. earlier this offseason, Sauce Gardner has now become the highest-paid player in the NFL at the position.
Gardner signed a four-year, $120.4 million contract extension with the New York Jets on Monday that, at an annual value of $30.1 million per year, catapulted him right past Stingley Jr. to the top of the list. The pact also includes a reported $60 million in guarantees added on top of the $25 million already embedded into his current deal.
Gardner has earned an extension of record-breaking proportions. While he has not been part of a winning season since entering the NFL as a first-round draft pick in 2022, he has played at a high level since the get-go and throughout his career so far.
Sounds familiar?
The New England Patriots’ own A-grade cornerback had a similar career as Gardner since arriving in Foxborough as a first-round pick one year later. While he did miss a majority of his 2023 rookie season due to a shoulder injury, Christian Gonzalez has been one of the best cornerbacks in football over the past two seasons. Last year, he even was voted All-Pro over the now-highest-paid cornerback in league history.
Heading into 2025, the Patriots still have up to three years of control over Gonzalez’s contract. His four-year rookie deal runs through 2026, with the fifth-year option allowing the organization to lock him up for an addition season.
That said, Gonzalez does become eligible for an extension starting next spring (which is also when the decision about his fifth-year option needs to be made). For both the culture-establishing Patriots as well as for the 23-year-old himself, contract negotiations beginning sooner than later would make some sense.
And if they do, Gardner’s contract could serve as a baseline for the two sides. Gonzalez, after all, has performed at a similarly high level albeit in a smaller sample size. If he can build on his 2024 performance in 2025, however, there is no question he should be confident asking for a similar payday.
The Patriots need to be prepared for that question to come up as early as next offseason. And if it does, Gardner and the Jets might just have provided a blueprint of sorts.