Sauce Gardner breaks down Odell Beckham Jr’s failed move to New York Jets - “He wanted to play here"
There could have been an alternate scenario wherein Sauce Gardner and Odell Beckham Jr. played for the New York Jets. That’s what the cornerback revealed in an interview for Sports Illustrated’s June 2023 issue.
The 2022 Defensive Rookie of the Year and First Team All-Pro member said:
“Odell, he wanted to play here. It was to the point where he was picking his jersey. He was telling me, like, ‘Hey, ask so-and-so if I can get the jersey [number I want].’ He was going to wear number 7.”
If Gardner’s story had pushed through, Beckham Jr. would have played alongside four-time NFL Most Valuable Player Aaron Rodgers. Instead, he signed a one-year, $15 million deal to play with Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens.
However, the three-time Pro Bowl wideout was on Rodgers’ wish list before he officially became a member of the Jets. He also responded to a tweet suggesting that he will play for New York’s AFC squad.
OBJ to the #Jets👀👀👀 https://t.co/oIcJG3UpWn
Odell Beckham Jr. also wore the number three jersey when he played for the Los Angeles Rams. While he won Super Bowl LVI with the squad, he suffered an ACL injury, keeping him out of the game for the 2022 season.
Sauce Gardner would have been one great recruiter
Imagine if Sauce Gardner could recruit both Aaron Rodgers and Odell Beckham Jr. The New York Jets will be primed to make the playoffs, breaking their 12-year postseason drought.
However, while not much is known about the Jets’ pursuit of Beckham Jr, Gardner’s pitch with Rodgers has been well-documented. His plea with the one-time Super Bowl champion started before Rodgers announced his intention to play for the Jets on "The Pat McAfee Show."
First, he tried to ask Aaron Rodgers a question, which he forgot. Then, Sauce Gardner re-shared a text exchange between him and Rodgers wherein he showed the cheesehead he got during Week 6 of the 2022 season. The former Cincinnati standout promised to burn the item if Rodgers joined the Jets.
The defensive back did follow through on his promise. He even filmed the burning with teammates Breece Hall and 2022 Offensive Player of the Year Garrett Wilson.
When Rodgers officially became a member of the Jets, he and Gardner watched a New York Knicks playoff game. That’s where the football world learned that the cornerback didn’t know who Jessica Alba was.
Persuading Odell Beckham Jr. to join the Jets would have made Sauce Gardner a master recruiter. If they succeed in 2023, who knows who else he can still bring to The Big Apple?