Sauce Gardner Has a Surprise for Aaron Rodgers Ahead of Jets-Steelers

Aaron Rodgers has seen a lot during his 20-plus seasons at the NFL level.

New York Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner says he has a surprise waiting for his former teammate when they host the Pittsburgh Steelers in the season opener.

“I’m looking forward to it because it’s like he [Rodgers] might think he knows all the tendencies that I had, but this offseason has really been like me trying not to give nothing away. I’ve been trying to work on literally everything because I already know I’m about to go against a wizard in Week 1,” Gardner said on “The Pat McAfee Show.”

“You trying to out-wizard the wizard is a funny thing. Hey Aaron, I just want to let you know I have been working on a lot of new [expletive] this offseason. That is what you just said. He is going to hear what you just said. Hey, you think you know everything? Yeah, right this offseason, three new different twists and turns. That is hilarious to think about,” Pat McAfee told Gardner.

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The Game Inside the Game Between Rodgers and Gardner

Gang Green had Super Bowl aspirations when they traded for Rodgers in a blockbuster deal with the Green Bay Packers.

It ended in disappointment this offseason when the four-time NFL MVP was handed his pink slip by the new regime. However, there will be a long-lasting impact that isn’t tangible in the box score.

“I remember when he first got to New York and we went to dinner. I got to like just pick his brain in terms of stuff as me as a football player, like tendencies that I could give to make him know if I’m playing man or zone or what I’m doing and stuff like that. When we got on the field, there was just so much that he has taught me as a player. Me playing cornerback, I’m not thinking of [how] a quarterback can help me,” Gardner admitted on “The Pat McAfee Show.”

Gardner isn’t the only player who has told these kinds of stories. C.J. Mosley and Quincy Williams have both shared things they have learned from Rodgers’ immense knowledge.


Gardner Reveals the Key to Playing Against Rodgers

“I can’t really study Aaron for real. He will show you the same exact tendency and do something totally different. In terms of the Steelers, I will preferably study their OC, study the receivers, study the tight ends, and stuff like that, because you can’t really get a beat on Aaron like that. That goes all the way to the time we played the Packers. You gotta be disciplined. If you’re not disciplined against him, then it’s not going to work. If you’re the middle field safety and Aaron looks to the left side, and you go running to the left side, it’s not going to work,” Gardner explained. “You have to be disciplined when you’re going against Aaron. It’s not just Aaron, but Aaron I feel like is the best when it comes to making you think one thing and doing something totally different.”

Obviously Rodgers has played in the league a lot longer than Gardner. However, there might have been a few tendencies revealed by Rodgers during his two years with the team that Sauce picked up on.

The last time Rodgers and Gardner squared up against each other was October 16, 2022.

“Sauce Gardner had a near-flawless performance as he continues to look nothing like a rookie from a Group-of-5 school. On six targets, Gardner allowed one catch for eight yards and forced three incompletions — the top shut down performance from a rookie corner all season,” Michael Renner of PFF wrote.

The Jets beat the Packers 27-10 in that contest.

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