Aaron Rodgers and Sauce Gardner have only overlapped in the same organization for a few months.
Gardner has only one year of NFL experience, too.
But before the Jets’ Hall of Fame Game on Thursday against the Browns, the 39-year-old quarterback didn’t mask his expectations for the second-year cornerback and reigning defensive rookie of the year.
“You’ll be here one day,” Rodgers said in the first episode of “Hard Knocks,” replying to Gardner’s comment about the atmosphere being a “cool experience” in Canton, Ohio.
Rodgers’ prediction came as the pair stood next to each other on the field for warmups, before the backups mostly played and the Jets lost to open the preseason.
Later in their exchange, Rodgers added that he’ll be “old and gray” when Gardner makes the Hall of Fame, though.
“That’s what I think about, bro,” Gardner said. “Like, my mom always tell me, she used to tell me to stay a kid as long as I could. And it’s like, if I’m really gonna do this, bro, I’m gonna be older, bro. Because, you know, like I’ve got aspirations of playing in the league for 40 years.”
The immediate bond between the Jets’ oldest player and one of their five 22-year-olds has emerged as one of the budding relationships on the roster.
There’s Rodgers, the quarterback with four MVPs, including two in the last three years. There’s Gardner, whose introduction to the NFL last year went about as smooth as possible.
During one of the Jets’ OTA sessions, the pair debuted a weed-smoking handshake, and they also attended a Knicks-Heat playoff game together.
Then, early in training camp, Gardner gifted Rodgers a No. 8 chain, placing it around his neck and embracing the quarterback while inside the weight room.
The handshake and the chain were included in the first episode, and Gardner’s graduation from the University of Cincinnati last weekend earned a scene, too.
He said walking across the stage and receiving his diploma felt like a “gameday,” even though there weren’t any nerves.
Gardner’s Cincinnati ceremony even included an appearance from former NBA Nick Van Exel, too.
But in addition to fulfilling the commitment Gardner made, where he’d “meet her halfway” by returning to college despite bolting early for the NFL, he had another reason for completing his college requirements. It connected back to his emerging role with the Jets, as the transition from Bearcats star to Jets cornerstone neared completion.
“It was always a box, I feel like, that was unchecked,” Gardner said during the episode. “… I gotta be a leader on and off the field. I’d do a disservice if I didn’t get my degree.”