When the Jets’ rookies took the field for their rookie minicamp last month, cornerback Ahmad Gardner was wearing the number 20. However, that was only temporary. He’ll be wearing No. 1 with the Jets, just as he did in college at Cincinnati.
The only hurdle was that free-agent addition D.J. Reed already claimed that jersey number, so Gardner had to convince him to give it up. On Tuesday, Gardner revealed to reporters that he paid Reed $50,000 for No. 1, showing just how much that number means to him.
How much does wearing No. 1 mean to Sauce Gardner? He paid teammate D.J. Reed $50k for the number. #Jets pic.twitter.com/FORG0nF8CU
— Rich Cimini (@RichCimini) June 14, 2022
Gardner was the Jets’ top draft pick this year, going fourth overall. He was one of three first-round picks, with Garrett Wilson and Jermaine Johnson being the other two.
Gardner will start right away as a rookie, and as one of the top cornerbacks in the class, he should have a big impact on the Jets defense.
