Jets named best fit for old Sauce Gardner rival in free agency

The 2022 New York Jets had one of the most fun group of rookies the team had ever seen.

Wide receiver Garrett Wilson was the favorite to win Offensive Rookie of the Year, Breece Hall looked elite in his first few games before going down with a torn ACL, Jermaine Johnson was coming along as a force off the edge, and Sauce Gardner had little to no competition in the Defensive Rookie of the Year race.

The only other player gaining traction in the 2022 DROY race? Seattle Seahawks cornerback Riq Woolen. Seahawks fans were adamant Woolen was just as good, if not better than Sauce, and insisted that he should've won the award.

Fast forward a few years, and Gardner is an Indianapolis Colt, while Woolen is a Super Bowl champion, about to hit free agency as his rookie contract expires. In a twist of fate, could he be the perfect free agent target the Jets are looking for?

Riq Woolen named 'best fit' for Jets in free agency

ESPN's Matt Bowen believes Woolen would be the perfect fit for the Jets in free agency, given their need at cornerback following last trade deadline's Gardner deal.

"The Jets allowed 57 completions of 20 or more yards in 2025, seventh most in the league. Adding Woolen, a 6-foot-5 corner with high-end physical tools and speed, fits under coach Aaron Glenn's defense," wrote Bowen.

Given Woolen's 12 career interceptions and 36 pass breakups, the former UTSA product could bring an element of playmaking that the Jets' secondary is sorely lacking.

Brandon Stephens, despite the shocking contract he received in free agency last year and poor play early on, settled in as a viable cornerback as the season progressed. Across from him, the Jets can't rely on 2025 third-round pick Azareye'h Thomas to start coming off a serious injury.

Bringing Woolen into the fold would give New York another experienced starting corner and would allow them to use their premier draft capital on other positions of need across the roster.

NFL Draft expert Daniel Jeremiah named cornerback "as an area they (the Jets) obviously have to address" in the 2026 NFL Draft on a recent episode of Move the Sticks. Signing Woolen would allow the Jets to focus on their defensive front, linebacker, or wide receiver in the first and second rounds.

It would be a nice touch of irony for Woolen to join the Jets, considering how his career started as a rival of Gardner, but with how things are currently laid out, he would be a welcome addition in New York.