Sauce Gardner pushes back that his Tee Higgins comment wasn’t Jets jab

Sauce Gardner wants to see Tee Higgins land a massive deal in the offseason, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll be trying to convince the star wideout to sign with the Jets.

When Higgins posted a highlight clip of his game-winning touchdown from the Bengals’ overtime thriller Saturday on Instagram, Gardner commented, “PAY THE MAN” with a traffic light emoji.

Another user replied to Gardner’s comment and tried to convince the Jets cornerback to “tell him come to da jets,” which then resulted in Gardner writing, “I will NOT be telling him that.”

It initially appeared to serve as a jab toward the Jets, who went from preseason Super Bowl contenders to a 4-12 disappointment positioned to land a top-10 draft pick.

The Aaron Rodgers experiment failed.

The trade for wide receiver Davante Adams didn’t ignite Gang Green’s offense as expected.

And the decision to fire Robert Saleh has only led to a 2-9 record under interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich.

But after the Jets’ brutal 40-14 loss to the Bills on Sunday, Gardner wrote on his Instagram story that his comment on Higgins’ post centered around the logic that the Jets already have two star receivers on their roster.

“We got G & Tae already so it’s no chance of it happening so that’s why I said ‘I will NOT tell him that,’” Gardner wrote, referencing Garrett Wilson and Adams.

Higgins caught 11 passes for 131 yards and three touchdowns during the Bengals’ 30-24 overtime victory over the Broncos on Saturday, which kept Cincinnati’s slim postseason hopes alive.

He received the franchise tag last offseason and skipped mandatory minicamp in search of a long-term deal before eventually inking a one-year pact.

Gardner, who earned consecutive first-team All-Pro honors to start his NFL career before struggling at times in 2024, was part of a Jets group that stumbled through another undisciplined loss, allowing the Bills to collect 348 yards, committing 16 penalties and adding another mortifying chapter to their season.

“Embarrassing? I don’t even know if that’s the word,” Gardner said postgame. “… You’re telling me now it’s 40-0, like if you ask me that means like it’s the end of the season, obviously we’re not going to the playoffs, some people might be checked out.”