Why The Jets Are Making Ahmad 'Sauce' Gardner Earn His Nickname

Published|Updated

It's obvious that the New York Jets think highly of cornerback Ahmad Gardner seeing as how they drafted him fourth overall in the 2022 NFL Draft. That doesn't mean they're going to give him superstar treatment, however, which is why they're making him earn his well-known nickname 'Sauce.'

The Jets aren't disregarding his nickname out of disrespect, instead, they're using the situation to motivate him. It's not the coaching staff or management who implemented the no-nickname strategy, either, it's his fellow teammates.


"He’s Ahmad until the season starts and he makes a play," linebacker C.J. Mosley said. "Ahmad it is."

JETS’ GARRETT WILSON NOTES DIFFERENCE BETWEEN QBS ZACH WILSON AND JOE FLACCO


While friends and family have called him 'Sauce' since he was six years old, it wasn't until he managed a pick-six as a freshman at Cincinnati when coaches and teammates started using the nickname.

While Mosley isn't quite ready to start calling him 'Sauce' just yet, he's been impressed with the rookie.



“Ahmad has some sauce to him, that’s for sure," Mosley explained. "On the field, he’s working all the time. He’s on the sideline asking questions. Off the field, he’s very confident, as well. He’s a very smart player, and you respect that a lot. He doesn’t try to act like he knows everything. He listens and tries to do the right thing."

Tags
Written by

Mark covers all sports at OutKick while keeping a close eye on the world of professional golf. He graduated from the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga before earning his master's degree in journalism from the University of Tennessee. He somehow survived living in Knoxville despite ‘Rocky Top’ being his least favorite song ever written. Before joining OutKick, he wrote for various outlets including SB Nation, The Spun, and BroBible. Mark was also a writer for the Chicago Cubs Double-A affiliate in 2016 when the team won the World Series. He's still waiting for his championship ring to arrive. Follow him on Twitter @itismarkharris.