Sauce Gardner and New York Jets mock Sean Payton after 31-21 win over Broncos in Week 5

Sauce Gardner is an outspoken player. He can be entertaining, as shown by his tweets with Aaron Rodgers about not knowing who Jessica Alba is. Conversely, he can also criticize others, especially if anyone in his team is under fire.

The 2022 Defensive Rookie of the Year had an opportunity to roast the Denver Broncos after defeating them in Week 5 of the 2023 season. But while he’s ridiculing Sean Payton, he also channeled a familiar catchphrase by Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson.

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Sauce Gardner hits two birds with one tweet after the Jets’ Week 5 win over the Broncos

The Week 5 New York Jets-Denver Broncos showdown wasn’t just an ordinary game. It became personal after Sean Payton criticized Nathaniel Hackett’s coaching job with the 2022 Broncos.

The one-time Super Bowl-winning head coach said last July that last year’s Broncos was “the worst coaching job in the history of the NFL.”

Hackett was at the Broncos’ helm for 15 games before getting fired. Jerry Rosburg took over as an interim before Denver finished the season at 5-12. Meanwhile, the Jets hired Hackett as their offensive coordinator this season, given his good relationship with quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

Even without Rodgers, Jets players have circled this Week 5 game on their calendars because of the bulletin board material Payton provided. To them, he made this game personal. That’s why their 31-21 victory at Denver felt so good because they got one back for Hackett.

But since the Jets have bragging rights after the win, they had to share their emotions online. Hence, Sauce Gardner tweeted:

“Jets Country.......LETS RIDE🐴”

Sauce Gardner's tweet after the New York Jets Week 5 victory over the Denver Broncos

That’s a reference to Russell Wilson’s statement following a press conference last year. Delivering it was out of context because the Broncos had a terrible record when he said it.

Ironically, Richard Sherman, Wilson’s former teammate with the Seattle Seahawks, posted a reaction of The Roots’ James Poyser trying to bottle up his laughter.

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Jets and Aaron Rodgers seconded Sauce Gardner’s tweet

Meanwhile, the Jets’ official Twitter account joined in the fun by posting:

“when you lose to the ‘offseason champs’”

New York Jets' Twitter page joined in the fun

They also included a photo of Kevin James on a Broncos uniform. James portrayed Payton in the film “Home Team,” based on Payton’s coaching stint with his son’s youth football team after being suspended from the league.

He got the suspension for “Bountygate,” or explicitly instructing his defensive players to harm opponents when they tackle them physically.

Meanwhile, the “offseason champs” tweet is another Sean Payton reference. The current Broncos head coach said that last year’s team focused on the PR and the attention brought by the Wilson trade during the offseason.

Finally, Aaron Rodgers, though not playing due to a season-ending Achilles injury, also posted:

“W. #hackett❤️ #”

Aaron Rodgers also had a tweet for Nathaniel Hackett

The victory improved the Jets’ record to 2-3. Conversely, the Broncos fell to 1-4. But given the background before the game, this felt like more than one victory for New York’s AFC team.