Jets' Sauce Gardner 'outstanding' in shadowing Metcalf, Glenn says - ESPN

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — New York Jets star Sauce Gardner, the NFL's highest-paid cornerback, will have an added responsibility this season.

Traveling man.

In the Jets' 34-32 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, Gardner followed wide receiver DK Metcalf just about everywhere. In fact, he lined up across from him on 30 of 34 pass plays, according to Next Gen Stats. For Gardner, this was a career first, the kind of assignment he always wanted.

«My job was to just eliminate No. 4 when I was on him,» said Gardner, who recorded two pass break-ups and held Metcalf to one catch for 11 yards. «I feel like I strapped him. But we have to win.»

Coach Aaron Glenn said Monday that Gardner was «outstanding» against Metcalf, adding that it won't be the last time he allows the two-time All-Pro to travel with the opponents' top receiver.

This is particularly noteworthy, considering they will face some of the league's best wideouts in the coming weeks — Mike Evans, Tyreek Hill, CeeDee Lamb and Ja'Marr Chase in the first eight weeks.

«We're going to ask him to do that on a number of occasions,» Glenn said of Gardner. «It depends on the matchup, for the most part.»

In recent years, it was a burning question among fans and media: Why not let Gardner cover the opponents' best receiver, the way the Jets did with Darrelle Revis, circa 2009?

The previous coach, Robert Saleh, used a zone-based system and believed it worked better when the cornerbacks were assigned to one side, not a specific player. They were a top-four defense from 2022 to 2024 in yards allowed, so something was working.

Glenn and his staff have a different philosophy. Gardner, who received a four-year, $120.4 million extension before training camp, is all for it.

«I liked