Ahmad Gardner has gone by “Sauce” Gardner since he was 6 years old.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell called him “Sauce” when announcing the Jets’ selection at No. 4 overall this spring, and Gardner is listed as Sauce Gardner on the team’s official roster.
Jets players and coaches, though, are calling him Ahmad or AG. They insist Gardner hasn’t earned being called “Sauce” yet.
“He’s Ahmad until the season starts and he makes a play,” linebacker C.J. Mosley said, via Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post. “Ahmad it is.”
Mosley said “pretty much” everyone in the locker room is playing along.
Gardner had the same initiation at the University of Cincinnati, and he quickly proved his nickname. During his freshman season, Gardner scored on a pick-six in an upset of Central Florida. He was “Sauce” ever after.
“Ahmad has some sauce to him, that’s for sure,” Mosley said. “On the field, he’s working all the time. He’s on the sideline asking questions. Off the field, he’s very confident, as well. He’s a very smart player, and you respect that a lot. He doesn’t try to act like he knows everything. He listens and tries to do the right thing.”