Sauce Gardner admitted that it bothered him a little that he was not selected as a captain by his Jets teammates last week.
Jamien Sherwood and Quinnen Williams were elected as the defensive captains. Alijah Vera-Tucker, Garrett Wilson and Justin Fields were elected on offense. Marcelino McCrary-Ball was chosen to represent special teams.
Gardner said the offense got three captains because Wilson and Vera-Tucker tied in the voting. He said it bothered him, but he moved past it quickly.
“I did feel a way,” Gardner said. “I was like, ‘Yo there’s three on offense. We may as well just do three on defense.’ That’s not going to affect how I approach the game or how much of a factor I play when it comes to the team, how much of a leader I am when it comes to the team, when it comes to the defense. I’m not really tripping about that.”
Gardner signed a four-year, $120.4 million contract extension in July and has said he wants to be more of a team leader. He hopes that includes being a captain in the future.
“That is something I want at some point in my career,” Gardner said. “I feel like it’s not too common for cornerbacks to be named captains of the team.”
Gardner, who has dealt with a calf injury over the past few weeks, said he is 100 percent healthy and ready to play Sunday against the Steelers.
The Jets do not have to issue an injury report until Wednesday, but they appear to be very healthy. Everyone was on the practice field Tuesday when the media was permitted to watch except backup tackle Chukwuma Okorafor.
LG John Simpson has missed time with a back injury recently, but he said he’s ready to go.
“I feel good,” Simpson said. “I had some time off and was able to get my [stuff] together and now I’m back.”
Jets coach Aaron Glenn was asked how he would define a successful season.
“I want to be a team to where the fans will look and say we’re proud of that team,” Glenn said. “And if they say that, I’ll be happy. I’ll be happy, because within that, I know that wins will come.”
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
