It was a good week for Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill, and New York Jets All-Pro cornerback Sauce Gardner has taken notice.
Hill was announced as the No. 1 overall player on the 2024 NFL Top 100 list one day before the Dolphins awarded him a three-year contract extension reportedly worth $90 million.
During an appearance on NFL Network's Good Morning Football, Gardner, who has the task of frequently defending Hill as an AFC East rival, spoke about the wide receiver's No. 1 overall standing as well as the huge payday.
"There's really a lot to people saying that he don't deserve to be the No. 1 player," said Gardner on camera in Florham Park. "I think it's well deserved. You got guys who gotta change their whole defense because of him. He's a guy that's hard to guard. He's going to present a challenge every time."
Since being drafted at No. 4 overall in 2022, Gardner has taken the NFL by storm. The lockdown cornerback has earned back-to-back All-Pro First Team honors and was rated as the No. 1 player at his position by Pro Football Focus, which uses an analytics-based grading system.
When it's time to hit free agency, Gardner may be able to command a record-setting contract. He's entering Year 3 on his rookie deal that features a fifth-year club option for the Jets to exercise. Right now, there are eight NFL cornerbacks being paid at least $19 million in average annual value according to Spotrac.
"I see he [Hill] changed his contract up a little bit. I couldn't believe that. That's a lot of money. That's a lot of money. I was lost for words when I seen that," said Gardner. "I think, what was it, like 30 a year?"
While GMFB co-host Peter Schrager tried moving onto a new topic of conversation, Gardner was seemingly still thinking about Hill's astronomical wide receiver salary.
"Tyreek, 30 million," said Schrager.
"Hey, I'm trying to get that in a few years," said Gardner.
If he's shutting down the opposing receiver making $30 million per year, why shouldn't he be making as much? As long as he stays healthy, he eventually will.
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