Will The Jets' Approach To Extending Garrett Wilson and Sauce Gardner Complicate Negotiations?

The New York Jets had the rare fortune of landing four talented players back in the 2022 NFL Draft, but with that comes important contract decisions to make this offseason. Their top two picks in receiver Garrett Wilson and cornerback Sauce Gardner will particularly command the most money, and rightfully so. Since the initial four year deal for 2022 first rounders expires after next year, their team can sign them to a long term deal, pick up their player option, or stand pat before next season. But while the Jets have indicated their desire to extend both players after the draft, that could complicate negotiations due to some of the recent deals for both positions.

Garrett Wilson and Sauce Gardner each deserve to be next in line among their position group for an extension. They are two of the team’s best homegrown players since being drafted in the first round of 2022. Going back to their first season, Wilson and Gardner made an immediate impact, becoming the fourth pair of teammates to win Rookie of the Year. Although the Jets have continued to disappoint as a team, Wilson and Gardner aren’t responsible for the frustration. 

Garrett Wilson has emerged into a reliable receiver with the ability to make game-changing plays. Despite playing with eight different quarterbacks, Wilson is a rising star at the position, notching over 1,000 yards in each of his first three seasons. He’s made catches that seem to defy physics and his ability to make players miss isn’t bad either. 

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Sauce Gardner has already established himself as a top three cornerback in the NFL. While he hasn’t picked off many passes, that’s mostly because quarterbacks are reluctant to throw his way. Gardner made first team all-pro appearances in his first two years which is a rare honor for a cornerback. Although he took a small step back in 2024, Gardner still figures to have a bright NFL future.
 
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Wilson and Gardner aren’t the only guys who the Jets should extend from their 2022 draft class. Jermaine Johnson and Breece Hall are also players worth negotiating with, but not before Wilson and Gardner get their money’s worth. If the new regime of head coach Aaron Glenn and general manager Darren Mougey want to establish a winning culture, keeping two foundational pieces in Wilson and Gardner is a necessity.
 
This past month, there have been multiple extensions for both positions that might impact the market for both positions. By waiting after the draft, the Jets will have to center their offers to Wilson and Gardner around some of the most recent deals. The Jets do have leverage when they negotiate with Wilson and Gardner having picked up their player options for at least another year. However, they shouldn’t let negotiations drag out to the point where tension emerges between the players and organization. 

A week ago, wide receivers Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins were awarded four year extensions of $161 million and $115 million respectively. For the cornerback market, Jaycee Horn became the highest paid cornerback in NFL history while Derek Stingley owns the highest annual average and guaranteed salary for the position.

Wilson is certainly not going to get the extension that Chase got. But for a less talented guy like Higgins to receive $115 million, gives Wilson more incentive to seek the same amount of money if not slightly more. An ideal extension would hover around $115 million to $120 million, with most of the money coming in the latter half of the extension. It can be risky to pay lots of money to a receiver, but this is a contract that can make Wilson and the Jets happy. 

Gardner’s extension would be a little more complicated as a result of the deals Stingley and Horn got. The Jets would’ve been better off extending him sooner because then they could’ve been the team to set the market for cornerbacks this offseason. He still deserves to be paid a similar amount of money but like Wilson, the Jets have additional needs to attend to. A deal for Gardner could revolve around what reigning Defensive Player of the Year Patrick Surtain got last year which was $96 million with $77 million guaranteed. He would also receive more money in the final two years of his extension which is similar to Surtain’s yearly salary. 
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The Jets can afford to wait out future extensions. Wilson and Gardner are both on the team for at least two more years with the team picking up their options. However, they should be core pieces for the long term considering how well they’ve both played in three years. New York is in a good position to extend both of them, but it should’ve been earlier because they wouldn’t have to keep pace with the recent contracts. We will know soon if the Jets’ approach truly pays off.