Sauce Gardner didn’t hesitate.
He didn’t pause.
Yes, the Jets’ standout cornerback is eager to face Chiefs’ star tight end Travis Kelce.
“I always want to go against the best, no matter what position it is,” Gardner told The Post after practice on Friday. “The best teams, the best receivers, the best tight ends. No matter who it is.”
While cornerbacks don’t typically defend tight ends, Kelce is no ordinary tight end.
He’s a game-changer, superstar quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ go-to weapon, an eight-time Pro Bowler who is among the best pass-catching tight ends in the game’s history.
And, as was the case last year when the Jets faced the Ravens and Mark Andrews, Gardner anticipates that he will, at times, be lined up against Kelce on Sunday night as the Jets look to snap a two-game losing streak.
“I do expect that,” he said. “I think I match up with him pretty well. It’s just me. I know myself.”
Asked what makes Kelce so difficult to defend, Gardner pointed to his connection with Mahomes and the trust they have in one another.
“You got to be ready to defend the second play [when Mahomes goes off script],” Gardner said. “He always has emergencies on his routes.”
Jets coach Robert Saleh was noncommittal on the team’s plans for Kelce, saying, “Everything is on the table.”
The Chiefs, unlike the Ravens last year, also have a number of dangerous receivers, complications matters.
Still, Kelce leads Kansas City in receptions (11) despite missing the regular-season opener and remains Mahomes’ No. 1 target.
He had seven catches for 69 yards and a touchdown in last week’s rout of the Bears, and is coming off a season in which he posted a career-high 110 receptions for 1,338 yards and 12 touchdowns.
The league’s Defensive Rookie of the Year and a first team All-Pro selection last year, Gardner has gotten off to a solid, though unspectacular, start so far.
He is still looking for his first interception.
He didn’t have to lobby the coaching staff to get a crack at Kelce.
“They know me, and they know what I like doing,” he said. “They got a pretty good feel for who I am.”
As University of Cincinnati alums, Kelce and Gardner have a relationship.
They are familiar with one another and have connected in the offseason in the past.
Then, there is the added layer of Kelce’s new relationship with singer Taylor Swift, who is expected to be in attendance at MetLife Stadium.
It has put Kelce in the national spotlight and will add eyeballs to the game.
The Jets obviously would love to prevent the two from celebrating another big game together, but Gardner’s focus is on himself and his team.
“That ain’t got nothing to do with me,” he said. “I rock with Trav. He went to UC, UC alum. We’re going to compete between the white lines.”
Added Gardner: “I’m just going to play my game. Playing my game, that’s going to be good enough.”
Gardner said he doesn’t think he can take much from his experience defending Andrews last year because Kelce isn’t used the same way.
He helped limit Andrews to five catches for 52 years in that matchup.
Gardner is excited for the opportunity on such a big stage. It is also his first game on Sunday night in his young career.
“I’m looking forward to it,” he said. “I ain’t never played ‘Sunday Night Football.’ I’m always excited for those prime-time games.”