NFL CB Sauce Gardner Says Bitter Ex-Teammate Failed To 'Earn His Stripes' With New York Jets

New York Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner issued another scathing response to former teammate Mecole Hardman's sharp remarks about playing for the Jets.

Hardman, a free agent WR who finished the season with the Chiefs, spent a brief period in New York in 2023. Failing to catch on, Hardman inspired the Jets to trade him back to his old team in Kansas City via mid-season trade. 

The 26-year-old eventually won his third Super Bowl with the Chiefs, winning a pair in K.C. before arriving with the Jets last offseason.

As part of his recent Super Bowl victory lap, Mecole Hardman issued heated comments at the Jets' "losing" culture, setting off a few Jets players. Star cornerback Sauce Gardner hopped back on Ryan Clark's "The Pivot" podcast this week and said Hardman's problems with the team may have had more to do with his poor play. 

READ: Mecole Hardman Defends Himself Against Accusations: 'Would Never Leak Game Plans'

Combined with a supposed ego from previously winning Super Bowls with the Chiefs, Gardner admitted that Hardman failed to "earn his stripes." He faulted Hardman for not taking the high road after winning the Lombardi.

Gardner said, "If you really know what it takes to win, you're going make sure you let the team know. ... The reason he couldn't do that is because he never earned his stripes. He came to the facility and thought he had it made for him."

The discourse goes beyond words. 

In a past rebuttal, Gardner accused Hardman of leaking Jets game plans to the Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles.

"If you know what it takes to win, you're not going to go to practice and drop hella punts and then have excuses as to why you're dropping them," Gardner added. "You're not going to go into a special teams meeting and get cussed out by the special teams coordinator. There's just certain things that are not going to happen if you truly know what it takes to win."

GREEN BAY, WISCONSIN - OCTOBER 16: Sauce Gardner #1 of the New York Jets looks on after the Jets beat the Green Bay Packers 27-10 at Lambeau Field on October 16, 2022 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) lifts wide receiver Mecole Hardman Jr. (12) celebrate after he scored the winning touchdown in overtime to beat the San Francisco 49ers, 25-22, in Super Bowl LVIII on Sunday, Feb. 11, 2024, in Las Vegas. (Tammy Ljungblad/Kansas City Star/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

Hardman's time in East Rutherford did disappoint, ending with a single catch in five combined games with the Jets. 

Within Mecole Hardman's rant, the wideout did give credible remarks about the Jets' offense. 

Hardman disparaged the Jets' offensive game plan in 2023 for centering entirely on Aaron Rodgers, leaving the rest of the offense without an answer when the veteran QB tore his Achilles in Week 1. Did the Jets offense under Nathaniel Hackett appear lost after Week 1? It sure did.

"You just got a new (offensive) coaching staff that came in and there’s no standard there," Hardman commented on "The Pivot" podcast in February.

"But the offense is just like, 'We’ll just figure it out. It’s Aaron [Rodgers’] show. Let Aaron do what Aaron does.’ Then, when Aaron goes down, it’s like we don’t know what to do," he added.

"I'm telling you right now, I was so checked out, like, it was over with," Hardman previously said. "I had already talked to [Chiefs GM Brett] Veach and Pat [Mahomes], like, 'Come get me.'"

Hardman made the most of his limited time in K.C. last season, catching the game-winning catch to beat the San Francisco 49ers in the Super Bowl.

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