London Notebook | Jets CB Sauce Gardner: Justin Jefferson ‘Rightfully’ Known as No. 1 Receiver in NFL

Sunday’s Jets-Vikings game has many storylines, but the headline matchup is Jets two-time All-Pro CB Sauce Gardner vs. Vikings All-Pro WR Justin Jefferson.

“He’s an extreme challenge,” Gardner told reporters after Friday’s practice in London. “He’s widely known as the No. 1 receiver by a lot of people. Rightfully so. The things that he puts on tape, he’s quick, shifty, great route runner, great hands. Everything about him is great.

“They’re doing their thing and me and D.J. [Reed] love to compete. I know Justin loves to compete as well. We’re looking forward to the challenge. We’re going to go out there, have fun and compete.”

The last time these teams met was during Gardner’s rookie season in 2022 as Gardner held Jefferson to 2 catches for 14 yards as the nearest defender in coverage. Jefferson finished with 45 yards and a touchdown on 7 catches.

This trip is Gardner’s first time overseas and not just for football. That’s not the case for Jefferson, who had 10 receptions for 147 yards in Week 4 of the 2022 season at Tottenham Hotpsur Stadium. But the 2022 Offensive Player of the Year is catching passes from a different quarterback, who is a familiar face to Jets fans – Sam Darnold.

“He looks extremely confident,” Gardner said of Darnold. “He has great receivers around him. … He has a lot of weapons around him not to mention their running back, Aaron [Jones]. That just makes his job easier and he’s making pretty good throws. He has a pretty big arm.”