The New York Jets have a number of talented young players that veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers will look to lead to the promised land this coming season. And he sent star second-year cornerback Sauce Gardner a bold message that shows exactly how high he sees his potential for the rest of his career.
Gardner broke onto the scene last season with a terrific rookie season, emerging as one of the best young defensive players in the league en route to earning his first All-Pro team as well as being named the Defensive Rookie of the Year.
Fans at home will get a unique view into the Jets locker room this offseason, as they are the team used in this year’s edition of HBO’s Hard Knocks, which kicked off on Tuesday night.
A sneak peek of the show was tweeted out by the NFL Twitter account, detailing Rodgers talking to Gardner on the field during the Hall of Fame Game, where Rodgers tells Gardner that he will eventually be a Hall of Famer someday.
“You’ll be here one day,” said Rodgers to Gardner while the two were talking about the on-field ceremony for the 2023 Hall of Fame Class ahead of the game. “I’ll be real old and gray when it happens.”
"You'll be here one day."@AaronRodgers12 knows @iamSauceGardner has Hall of Fame aspirations in the league.
Watch #HardKnocks on @StreamOnMax pic.twitter.com/wGWaLRN9Rm
— NFL (@NFL) August 9, 2023
To say that a second-year player, regardless of talent level will be a Hall of Famer is certainly a wild prediction. But if anyone at his age deserves that praise, it might just be Sauce Gardner, who is already viewed by most to be one of the best cornerbacks in all of football.