Rapper Fat Joe famously said in 2022, “Yesterday’s price is not today’s price.”
That couldn’t be more true when talking about NFL contract extensions.
Both cornerback Sauce Gardner and wide receiver Garrett Wilson are eligible for contract extensions for the first time because they are entering their fourth seasons in the league. However, the Jets have a new brass this offseason in general manager Darren Mougey and coach Aaron Glenn.
At the NFL Scouting Combine last month, Mougey appeared open to extending Gardner and Wilson.
“I’m just excited those guys are on the roster,” Mougey said. “Two young good players, talented players, excited they’re part of the roster.
“The to-do list is to keep good young players on the team and add good players.”
However, it doesn’t appear that extending Gardner and Wilson is a priority at the moment, which is understandable. Mougey and Glenn are trying to improve a Jets team that finished 5-12 last season and one that hasn’t made the playoffs since 2010.
AP Photo/Seth Wenig
New York Jets’ Garrett Wilson runs a route during an NFL football game against the Indianapolis Colts, Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
But the longer the Jets wait, the more the cost of doing business will continue to increase.
A week ago, Panthers cornerback Jaycee Horn became the highest-paid defensive back in NFL history after receiving a four-year, $100 million contract extension, including $70 million guaranteed. His contract’s annual value will average $25 million per season and could reach $108 million with incentives.
It only took a week for Horn’s contract to be already topped.
On Monday morning, cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. and the Texans agreed to a three-year, $90 million extension on Monday, according to multiple reports. The deal includes $89 million guaranteed, according to ESPN.
Mougey didn’t say when the Jets might extend Gardner and Wilson, but they should sooner rather than later. Most organizations usually aren’t quick to pay a top cornerback and a young ascending wide receiver following their third season. But clearly, times have changed in the NFL.
Gardner has made it no secret that he wants to be part of the Jets’ solution and help the team end its dreaded playoff drought.
