- May 21, 2026
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When the Jets traded Sauce Gardner to the Colts last season, they dealt away both their No. 1 cornerback and the player who wore No. 1 on his jersey.
Second-year corner Azareye'h Thomas has his eyes on taking over both roles. The third-round pick wore No. 23 while playing in 12 games before landing on injured reserve as a rookie and he has switched to Gardner's former number for his second season.
Thomas said that the switch is indicative of the expectations that he has for himself in 2026.
"It's a different type of pressure, a different set of expectations when you walk out there and you’re number one," Thomas said, via the team's website. "If you're number one, you're number one and you got to play like it. But as I walk out there, I'm not thinking like that but of course it's in the back of my mind like I've got to perform, like I said though, that's a given. But I'm no longer walking out there with that baggage on my back because I know I'm playing for an audience of one."
The Jets signed Nahshon Wright and drafted DeAngelo Ponds to add to a cornerback group that brings back Brandon Stephens in addition to Thomas. No one in that group has earned the accolades Gardner did during his Jets tenure, but they'll all get opportunities to show that the Jets are back on track after an interception-less 2025 season.
Second-year corner Azareye'h Thomas has his eyes on taking over both roles. The third-round pick wore No. 23 while playing in 12 games before landing on injured reserve as a rookie and he has switched to Gardner's former number for his second season.
Thomas said that the switch is indicative of the expectations that he has for himself in 2026.
"It's a different type of pressure, a different set of expectations when you walk out there and you’re number one," Thomas said, via the team's website. "If you're number one, you're number one and you got to play like it. But as I walk out there, I'm not thinking like that but of course it's in the back of my mind like I've got to perform, like I said though, that's a given. But I'm no longer walking out there with that baggage on my back because I know I'm playing for an audience of one."
The Jets signed Nahshon Wright and drafted DeAngelo Ponds to add to a cornerback group that brings back Brandon Stephens in addition to Thomas. No one in that group has earned the accolades Gardner did during his Jets tenure, but they'll all get opportunities to show that the Jets are back on track after an interception-less 2025 season.