INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA – MARCH 06: Sauce Gardner #DB14 of the Cincinnati Bearcats runs a drill during the NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium on March 06, 2022 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images)
Ahmad Gardner enters the NFL with swagger and a catchy nickname.
This year’s No. 4 overall picks have gone by “Sauce” since a youth football coach gave him the moniker at six years old. The cornerback will look to energize the New York Jets defense entering 2022.
However, one of his teammates isn’t ready to embrace the “Sauce” nickname yet.
Defensive lineman Carl Lawson Jr. told Jets reporter Paul Andrew Esden Jr. that he’ll have to earn that designation.
“He’s Ahmad right now until he gets to the field,” Lawson said. “He’s not Sauce yet. Until he plays and he balls out, then we’ll call him Sauce. But he’s Ahmad right now.”
Fans are torn about Lawson’s declaration. Some appreciate a veteran making the rookie prove himself.
Others, meanwhile, don’t support Lawson ignoring Gardner’s longtime nickname.
Regardless of what Lawson calls him, Gardner will look to establish himself as a premier cornerback. The 6’2″ defender tallied three interceptions in each of his three collegiate seasons at Cincinnati.
It may not take long for Gardner to prove worthy of a nickname.
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