Sauce Gardner talks up Malik Nabers, at loss for words with Daniel Jones after Jets-Giants joint practice

New York Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner, like many top players at his position, enjoys his trash talk. He taunted the New York Giants at a joint practice Wednesday, waving good bye to Gang Green’s MetLife Stadium co-tenants after his squad scored another touchdown. 

Giants rookie wide receiver Malik Nabers, the sixth overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft out of LSU, felt Gardner and his teammates earned the right to talk after how the joint practice went. 

“They can do that,” Nabers said, via the New York Daily News. “I mean, they won on the day. Their defense came out, executed well. We beat ourselves today.”

However, Gardner was impressed with what he saw from the rookie, comparing Nabers to current NFL superstar receivers who also made a name for themselves at LSU. 

“He nice. He’s very sudden when it comes to getting in and out of his breaks,” the two-time First-Team All-Pro said Wednesday, via ESPN. A little Ja’Marr Chase. A little Justin Jefferson. “He’s going to be a really good player.”  

As for Nabers’ starting quarterback Daniel Jones, well Gardner was simply at a loss for words, struggling to figure out what to say when asked what he thought about Jones. 

“Uh, he’s uh, he’s uh, he’s uh good quarterback, you feel me?” Gardner said, via SNY. “I thought I was about to pick him off today. I had a cloud rep [where the cornerback plays the flat and force and the safety plays the deep half of the field]. He had looked at the last minute to throw the checkdown to [wide receiver] Wan’Dale [Robinson]. I thought I had him picked, but he kept it [and ran].” 

Let’s just say if Gardner was in Joe Schoen’s seat as the Giants general manager, he might be relieved to see the team can cut Jones in the 2025 offseason and save just under $20 million in cap space ($19.4 million, per OverTheCap.com).