In case you missed it, the Jets dismantled the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field in Week 6. New York’s defense played tremendous in the win, regardless of what some critics say. How would you commemorate such a big victory? For rookie cornerback Sauce Gardner, it was taking one of Green Bay’s Cheesehead hats home with him.
His love affair with this new piece of clothing started in the immediate moments after the Jets were officially victorious:
Sauce Gardner wanted a souvenir to remember the Jets’ trip to Lambeau ?? #TakeFlight #NYJvsGB pic.twitter.com/SCav62zcyU
— ESNY (@EliteSportsNY) October 16, 2022
In case you’re wondering who the Debbie Downer is that knocked the Cheesehead off Gardner’s head, it was Packers receiver Allen Lazard. One would imagine that’d be the last time we saw the rookie sporting this look. It wasn’t, though — the love affair has continued.
First, he carried it with him on his way to the Jets team bus:
Sauce Gardner walking to the team bus, cheesehead in hand. pic.twitter.com/NH9DzoMEPV
— Zack Rosenblatt (@ZackBlatt) October 16, 2022
According to Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic, Gardner put the hat back on once he boarded the bus. I mean, what else are you supposed to do with that thing? It’s not like it could fit in his bag.
What do you think he did once he and the Jets returned from Green Bay? Every player has their own way of decompressing after an NFL game — especially a big win. As for Gardner, he opted for playing some video games to relax. But while he was streaming, he made sure his new hat was in plain view if it wasn’t on his head:
— ?????✈️? (@jhigh217) October 17, 2022
As we all know at this point, Sauce isn’t just some dude with an impeccable sense of style when it comes to hats. He’s also a pretty good cornerback. There’s typically an adjustment period for most players entering the NFL — especially at skill positions. However, Gardner has performed quite well over the past six weeks.
Sunday in Green Bay was another example of that. He allowed just one catch for eight yards off six targets in Week 6. This included three forced incompletions and a 39.6 passer rating allowed.
No wonder he’s so excited to flaunt his Cheesehead hat at every opportunity. The dude straight-up shoved at Lambeau.
Matt Musico can be reached at matt.musico@xlmedia.com and you can follow him on Twitter: @mmusico8.
