In speaking with Conor Orr of Sports Illustrated Ahmad ‘Sauce’ Gardner revealed details of his first conversation with Aaron Rodgers, months prior to the four-time NFL league MVP being traded to the Jets.
It appears that the 2022 Defensive Rookie of the Year’s first communication involved his now-infamous wearing of a Packers cheesehead following the Jets Week 6 victory over Green Bay.
“First thing I did, I texted him a picture of the cheesehead,” Gardner told Orr. “And he said, ‘LOL why do you still have that?’ I told him, ‘Hey, you become a Jet, I’ll burn it. You don’t have to worry about it.’
As we know Gardner kept his promise to the 10-time Pro Bowl quarterback, burning the cheesehead on his YouTube channel in his backyard fire pit. The dominant NFL cornerback was joined by Jets’ teammates Garrett Wilson and Breece Hall.
Last night, Sauce Gardner burned the cheesehead he took from Lambeau as part of his pitch to Aaron Rodgers to leave the Packers and join the #Jets. Breece Hall and Garrett Wilson were there too.
— Zack Rosenblatt (@ZackBlatt) March 10, 2023
(Full video: https://t.co/ora8MRdvHu) pic.twitter.com/CZa8MESJUT
In addition, the Jets star defensive back shared that Rodgers asked him point-blank, “‘what do y’all think you need [to be competitive]?”
However, with the additions of the QB’s former teammates—Allen Lazard, Randall Cobb, Tim Boyle and Billy Turner—it looks like it was Rodgers who told the Jets what talent they needed to be competitive. However, coach Robert Saleh recently downplayed reports of Rodgers giving a “wish list” to the team before the trade.
After the trade was announced in April, Gardner changed his Twitter profile image to a picture of Rodgers in his Cal college jersey.
Jets fans are not only hoping the team qualifies for the playoffs for the first time since 2010, but also looking forward to seeing “Sauce” change his Twitter image once again next February … perhaps this time to a picture of him holding the Super Bowl LVIII trophy in Las Vegas.
