Sauce Gardner News: Will receive fifth-year option

Jets general manager Darren Mougey said Monday that the team intends to exercise the fifth-year options of Gardner (hamstring), Garrett Wilson and Jermaine Johnson (Achilles), Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Gardner, Wilson and Johnson were all selected by New York in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft, and the Jets plan to extend all of their rookie contracts through 2026. The No. 4 overall pick of that draft year, Gardner's guaranteed base salary in 2026 will project at $20.1 million guaranteed, though he will work to negotiate a long-term extension before then. A hamstring injury forced Gardner to spend the final game of the 2024 regular season on IR, but he projects to be fully ready for the start of mandatory offseason activities.