Ahmad "Sauce" Gardner (born August 31, 2001) is an American professional football cornerback for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Cincinnati Bearcats and was selected fourth overall by the New York Jets in the 2022 NFL draft. Gardner was named the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year and was the first rookie cornerback since Ronnie Lott in 1981 to be named first-team All-Pro.
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Early life
Gardner was born on August 31, 2001, in Detroit, Michigan. He attended Martin Luther King Jr. Senior High School, where he played wide receiver and cornerback on their football team. In the Division 2 State Championship, Gardner caught four passes for 126 yards and two touchdowns. After the season, Gardner was named an All-State selection at cornerback by the Associated Press. A three-star cornerback recruit, Gardner committed to play college football at Cincinnati over offers from Akron, Alabama A&M, Ball State, Bowling Green, Central Michigan, Colorado State, Indiana, Iowa State, Kentucky, Northern Illinois, Syracuse, Toledo, Western Michigan, and Youngstown State.
College career
In 2019, his true freshman season, Gardner played in 11 games. He had 31 tackles and three interceptions, two of which he returned for touchdowns. He also tallied 11 passes defended and eight pass breakups. After the season, Gardner was the only true freshman named to the American Athletic Conference first-team. As a sophomore in 2020, Gardner began the season atop the depth chart as a starter. As a junior, Gardner was voted to the 2021 College Football All-America Team and named the AAC Defensive Player of the Year en route to helping Cincinnati become the first Group of Five team to reach the College Football Playoff. He declared for the 2022 NFL draft following the season.
Professional career
Pre-draft
ESPN analyst Mel Kiper Jr. and NFL analysts Daniel Jeremiah and Bucky Brooks ranked Gardner as the top cornerback prospect in the draft. Dane Brugler of The Athletic and Rob Rang of Fox Sports ranked him as the second best cornerback in the draft. Pro Football Focus had him ranked third among all cornerbacks available in the draft. Cory Giddings of Bleacher Report had Gardner ranked as the second best cornerback (11th overall) among his position group. NFL draft analysts and scouts unanimously projected him to be selected in the first round.
New York Jets
The New York Jets selected Gardner in the first round (fourth overall) of the 2022 NFL draft. He was the second cornerback selected in the draft and also became the highest drafted cornerback in the Jets' franchise history, surpassing 2013 first round pick (ninth overall) Dee Milliner. He was also the first of three Cincinnati defensive backs drafted along with second round pick (62nd overall) Bryan Cook and fourth round pick (102nd overall) Coby Bryant.
On May 7, 2022, the New York Jets signed Gardner to a fully-guaranteed four–year, $33.45 million rookie contract that includes an initial signing bonus of $21.50 million.
Throughout training camp, he competed to be a starting cornerback against Bryce Hall under defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich. Head coach Robert Saleh named him a starting cornerback to begin the season and paired him with D. J. Reed.
On September 11, 2022, Gardner made his professional regular season debut and earned his first career start in the New York Jets' home-opener against the Baltimore Ravens and recorded two solo tackles and one pass deflection during a 9–24 loss. On October 9, 2022, Gardner made five combined tackles (three solo), one pass deflection, and had his first career interception on a pass by Teddy Bridgewater to wide receiver River Cracraft during a 40–17 victory against the Miami Dolphins. In Week 7, he set a season-high with ten combined tackles (eight solo) and had three pass deflections during a 16–9 victory at the Denver Broncos. He earned the AFC Defensive Player of the Week. On November 6, 2022, he made seven combined tackles (three solo), one pass deflection, and intercepted a pass attempt thrown by Josh Allen to wide receiver Gabriel Davis during a 20–17 win against the Buffalo Bills. He started all 17 games as a rookie in 2022 and finished with a total of 75 combined tackles (51 solo), two interceptions, and led the league with 20 passes defensed. He was selected for the 2023 Pro Bowl Games, joining Tariq Woolen of the Seattle Seahawks as the only rookies selected. He won the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year award and was also named a first-team All-Pro, becoming the first rookie cornerback to achieve the honor since Ronnie Lott in 1981. He was ranked 23rd by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2023. He received an overall grade of 88.5 from Pro Football Focus as a rookie in 2022.
Gardner entered training camp slated as the de facto No. 1 starting cornerback. He was named a starting cornerback to begin the season and was paired with D. J. Reed.
Indianapolis Colts
On November 4, 2025, the Jets traded Gardner to the Indianapolis Colts in exchange for wide receiver Adonai Mitchell and two first-round picks; one in 2026 (16th overall, which the Jets later used to select tight end Kenyon Sadiq) and one in 2027. He finished the 2025 season with 36 total tackles (28 solo) and nine passes defended.
Career statistics
Personal life
Gardner is a Christian.
Gardner got the nickname "Sauce" from a youth football coach at age six. After being drafted, in 2022, he partnered with the sports bar chain Buffalo Wild Wings to endorse a sweet and spicy barbecue sauce known as "Sauce Sauce".