10 Minutes With… NFL Star Sauce Gardner
@SAUCEGARDNER
Let’s start with the name, Sauce. Is that what your mum calls you?
She calls me by my government name like the rest of my family. Unless she’s coming to the game. Then she calls me Sauce.
Where does the name come from?
I got it from a little league coach when I was about six years old. He thought I had a lot of swag, the way I carried myself. The skills spoke for themselves, but that was just a nickname he gave me.
You weren’t just walking the walk, though. From the little leagues back then to the big time today, what’s it taken to get here?
Confidence. Telling yourself you’re going to make it. A lot of people get caught up in the statistics. They look at the statistics of the people who have made it to the NFL, and that really gets into their brain. For me, it was more important to be telling myself I was going to make it, because you can do whatever you tell yourself you can do.
Now you’ve made it to the NFL, it’s looking like you’ve got an edge there too. Rookie Defensive Player of the Year in your first season, but you also made the All-Pro first team – no rookie cornerback had done that since the 80s. What’s the secret, Sauce?
I would say my preparation. That’s what gives me the confidence. You have to prepare the right way. When it’s game time, you’re going to revert to your level of training, so you need to be training hard to perfect your craft. If you’ve done that, when it’s time to play, you can be confident in your abilities. It’s hard to be confident if you’re going up against a number-one guy and you know you haven’t prepared.
@SAUCEGARDNER
Have you ever thought about what you would be doing if you weren’t in the NFL?
Nah. But I’ve been golfing a lot lately, so it’s probably easiest to say I’d be a golfer instead.
Thinking of other sports… The Olympics just finished in Paris. There’s a lot of chat about the next ones in LA. Flag football is going to be an Olympic sport for the first time. It’s basically American football without the contact – are you going to be suiting up for the Dream Team in 2028?
Yeah, man, that’s definitely something I’ve looked at. If the opportunity presents itself, maybe I would make the most of it, but we got to get there first. It’s one day at a time, you know. I need to keep perfecting my craft, keep taking care of my body.
Who else would be on your Dream Team?
I would have DJ Reed as the other cornerback. Hopefully Aaron Rodgers is in a mood to play flag football at quarterback. I would have Garrett Wilson as one of the receivers…
So you’re taking the New York Jets to the Olympics! I already don’t fancy Team GB’s chances, but is there anyone else you’d take from another NFL team?
I would say we got to put Tyreek Hill in there as a receiver. Who else? I dunno…
Justin Jefferson of the Minnesota Vikings is another great receiver. A lot of us got to know him better on Receiver recently, and now it looks like you’ll be going up against him one-on-one in London. Are you looking forward to that?
He’s an elite level guy – I believe he’s the highest paid receiver in the league. Like Tyreek, he’s one of the top guys – and it’s always great to have a challenge and compete against those guys, so yeah I’m looking forward to it.
@SAUCEGARDNER
What makes guys like Jefferson and Tyreek special?
They’re fast. They know how to run great routes. If you were creating the perfect receiver, those are the two things you’ve got to have. And obviously they’ve got to be able to catch.
The match-up with Jefferson aside, are you excited to be coming to London?
Just being out the country is going to be great because it’s my first time leaving the US. I’m excited to learn a bit about the culture in the UK.
On the flip side of that, there’s a lot of people over here looking to learn a bit more about American football. What would you say to someone who’s grown up watching our football about why they should get into American football?
If you like physicality, American football can be extremely physical. The fans are energetic and, you know, as players we have fun on the field too. You never know what to expect on the field.
And last one, Sauce – why should any new fan be making the Jets their team?
Great question, man. We have a great team. Offence, defence and special teams – we’re a great brotherhood. We play for the man next to us. When we’re on the field, you know we’re going to give it everything we got.
For the latest New York Jets news, check out NYJetsInternational.com – and follow @NYJetsInUKAndIE on X and @NewYorkJetsInUK on Instagram.
There are three NFL London Games this year, starting with the New York Jets versus the Minnesota Vikings at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday 6th October. Find the latest ticket info here.
DISCLAIMER: We endeavour to always credit the correct original source of every image we use. If you think a credit may be incorrect, please contact us at [email protected].
