Sauce Gardner’s time spent with Davante Adams doesn’t match the eight seasons the receiver played with Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay.
But the two-time All-Pro Jets cornerback remembers forging a “pretty cool” bond two years ago at the Pro Bowl with Adams, who has listed the Jets among his leading destinations after requesting a trade from the Raiders earlier this week.
Gardner didn’t want to address those trade rumors other than to say, “I know the coaches and the front office are going to do whatever they feel is best for the team.”
Still, he gushed about the 31-year-old Adams, who is expected to miss his second straight game this week for Las Vegas due to a hamstring injury.
“I know Aaron and Davante have a great relationship. And me and Davante got a pretty cool relationship, too,” Gardner told The Post before practice Thursday in Florham Park. “We spent a lot of time together at the Pro Bowl talking with each other. I remember my rookie year [in 2022], we were talking a lot.
“And then I was really trying to go up against him in practice as much as I could when we were doing just walk-throughs in the red zone. I really tried to watch how he ran his routes, because I knew I had to play him last year. He’s an incredible player and a good person, and whatever happens with [the trade request] happens.”
In the meantime, Gardner and the Jets will face another upper echelon receiver Sunday in London in Justin Jefferson, who has posted 358 receiving yards and four touchdowns during the Vikings’ 4-0 start.
As a rookie, Gardner helped limit Jefferson to 45 receiving yards in a loss in Minnesota in December 2022.
“Man, he can do everything. Elite route runner, he’s got elite hands. He’s a competitor. He’s got confidence. He’s everything that you look for in a receiver,” Gardner said. “Obviously I haven’t played him in a couple of years, but I still remember how it was like going against him.
“We were really out there competing. Me, him, D.J. [Reed, Jets cornerback], and now they got a guy like [Jordan] Addison on the other side, who can complement him well, and kind of even looks like him out there a little bit in terms of how they run their routes.”
As Gardner put it, every week is “a new challenge,” with “just about every team” having a true No. 1 receiver.
He also noted that top receivers generally are paid more than elite cornerbacks in the NFL.
Jefferson earns $35 million this year and is one of six receivers making $30 million or more. Jalen Ramsey and Patrick Surtain II are making around $24 million apiece to lead all corners.
That is, at least until Gardner, who is still on his rookie contract making $8.36 million this year, cashes in with a massive extension when he’s eligible in the offseason.
“Man, I love challenges. Not just me. D.J., as well, we love going against the best, and [Jefferson] is definitely one of the best,” Gardner said. “If you look at how corners and receivers are paid, it’s so different, and I don’t think it should be so much of a difference.
“Corner, I feel like, is the hardest position to play. I don’t think receiver is the hardest position to play, but they [are] getting paid a lot of money. It’s one of those things, man, so I love to compete against all those guys.”
Gardner and the defense also will be going up against former Jets quarterback Sam Darnold. The 2018 No. 3-overall pick was traded in 2021, a year before Gardner was selected No. 4 overall.
The 27-year-old Darnold has been reborn with the Vikings after subsequent stints with the Panthers and the 49ers.
He has thrown for 932 yards and a league-high 11 touchdowns entering Sunday’s game.
“He looks confident to me, that’s the first thing I see. He looks real confident,” Gardner said. “Obviously, he’s got some pretty elite guys around him. But I was watching his film from when he was here, and it don’t look the same to how it looks now.
“Them guys around him definitely have helped his identity come to life. That definitely wasn’t the same when he was here. And that’s great for him. We gotta do our best to stop them this week.”
