Jets' Quinnen Williams, Sauce Gardner make 'No. 1' priority
Sauce Gardner, left, of the New York Jets celebrates his third quarter interception against the Buffalo Bills with teammate Jermaine Johnson #52 at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, Nov. 6, 2022. Credit: Jim McIsaac
Quinnen Williams and Sauce Gardner share a common bond. They’re never satisfied. They always want more.
Being First-Team All-Pro and making the Pro Bowl — as each did last year — were steps for them. Not the end game.
Williams wants to be the NFL’s best defensive tackle. Gardner wants to be the best cornerback. And they want to help the Jets win a Super Bowl.
“He wants to be the best,” Gardner said of Williams. “I ain’t going to mention names, but you got those guys, people from the outside looking in, saying Quinnen’s No. 4 because of this, these people and what they did . . . He wants to be THAT guy. That’s how I am. I want to be that guy as well. Who said we can’t be No. 1?”
The Jets have a lot of talented, hungry players on defense. But Williams, up front, and Gardner, in the back end, are the faces of a defense that believes it can be the No. 1 unit this season.
Williams is 25 and Gardner 23. They should be the faces of the Jets’ defense for a long time.
“Internally-driven players have no ceiling,” Jets coach Robert Saleh said. “They’re not satisfied with being an inch in front of the guy behind them. They want to be in front of everybody by a mile. That’s what those two guys are. They’re elite competitors.
“I think when you have that type of mindset, there’s no ceiling to what you’re able to achieve. You mix that in with their confidence and their skill set . . . when they say they want to be the best, I believe them.”
Quinnen Williams. Credit: Jim McIsaac
Williams, the No. 3 overall pick from Alabama in 2019, broke out last season. He wreaked havoc on offensive linemen and quarterbacks. His 12 sacks were second to Kansas City’s Chris Jones (15.5) among defensive tackles.
The Jets gave Williams a four-year, $96 million extension just before training camp started. They believe Williams may be even more driven after getting the big deal.
“I don’t know if he could be more hungry than he was, but I feel that from him,” defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich said. “He really wants to be considered the best tackle in this league and I think he has an opportunity to do that.”
Cornerback D.J Reed called Williams “a generational talent.”
Aaron Donald and Jones usually are mentioned ahead of Williams. But he is coming and closing in like he does on a quarterback. That’s what Williams cares about, not the money.
“I don’t play football for money,” Williams said. “I play football to be the best. I play football because it’s fun. I play football to be a part of this group. I hold us accountable, hold my teammates accountable and I want them to hold me accountable as well because I want to win the Super Bowl.
“I want to win. I came from ‘Bama winning, I want to win. My whole buildup is about competing and winning. My mama always told me to finish, to give it my all in whatever I do or don’t do it at all. That’s why I walk on the field with my mindset every single down.”
Gardner has the same mindset.
The No. 4 pick out of Cincinnati, Gardner had a spectacular rookie season. He led the NFL with 20 passes defended. He had a measly 53.9 passer rating allowed. Gardner was the runaway winner for Defensive Rookie of the Year.
He already is considered one of the best corners, and talked about in the same class as Jaire Alexander, Patrick Surtain II, Jalen Ramsey and Darius Slay.
Gardner’s goal is to be the NFL MVP this year. It’s unlikely, but it says so much about his drive. Being the best at his position is certainly within reach for Gardner, though.
“It don’t matter what the age is, how many years somebody got in — you can be the best,” Gardner said. “I take that in everything I do.”
Al Iannazzone covers the Jets for Newsday after spending nearly two decades on the NBA beat with Knicks and Nets.
