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The New York Jets are set to take on the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 1 of the 2025-26 season. It’s a highly anticipated contest, as Aaron Rodgers will face off against his former team and teammate, Sauce Gardner. The star cornerback recently opened up about the upcoming matchup and revealed why he’s so excited to play against Rodgers.
During a guest appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show,” Gardner thinks he can outsmart the veteran quarterback in the Week 1 matchup. Due to the fact that they used to be teammates, Sauce Gardner thinks Rodgers will try to take advantage of his tendencies. But due to his training this offseason, the 24-year-old cornerback believes he’ll be able to overcome any challenges Rodgers throws at him.
“I’m looking forward to it because he might think he knows all the tendencies that I have, but this offseason has really been like me trying to give nothing away,” explained Sauce Gardner. “I’ve been trying to work on literally everything. Because I already know I’m about to go against a wizard Week 1.
“It’s going to be crazy. It’s going to be a lot of emotions in that game,” Gardner continued. “I don’t care what people say about him; he’s a phenomenal person. I remember when he first came to New York, and we went to dinner, and I got to just pick his brain.”
"Aaron Rodgers is a phenomenal person..
I'm looking forward to playing against him week one..
The Steelers got some DAWGS and I'm looking forward to the challenge" ~ @iamSauceGardner #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/MBXpeb1NaN
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) July 2, 2025
Rodgers, who is 41 years old, has seen everything at this point in his career. So, it’ll be interesting to see if Gardner can outsmart the four-time MVP in the season opener. Sauce Gardner has been solid throughout his career so far. But he certainly has a challenge in Week 1 against the Steelers.
The two-time First-Team All-Pro is entering the fourth season of his career. Although the 2024-25 campaign was a bit of a down year in comparison to his first two seasons in the league, expectations are that Sauce Gardner will bounce back in a big way. He ended last season with 49 combined tackles (36 solo), one sack, and one interception.
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