Jets rookie Gardner stands out as All-Pro
With the NFL playoffs set to kick off Saturday with wild-card round matchups, the New York Jets are sidelined again, their 12-year streak of missing the postseason the longest active drought in the NFL.
They lost their final six games to finish 7-10 for their seventh consecutive losing record as well, but an individual honor could give the team hope for the future.
Sauce Gardner, chosen by the Jets with the No. 4 overall draft pick last April, became the first rookie cornerback in 41 years to be a first-team selection to the AP NFL All-Pro team when the 2022 season’s picks were announced Friday.
In other highlights, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce and Minnesota Vikings receiver Justin Jefferson were unanimous choices, with both receiving first-team votes on all 50 ballots of a nationwide panel of media members who regularly cover the NFL.
This was the first year for the AP’s new voting system. Voters chose a first team and a second team; first-team votes are worth three points and second-team votes are worth one.
San Francisco 49ers edge rusher Nick Bosa and Chiefs defensive lineman Chris Jones and quarterback Patrick Mahomes each got 49 of 50 first-team votes. The Chiefs and 49ers led the way with four players each on the first team.
Gardner, a former University of Cincinnati standout from Detroit, was named on all 50 ballots and received 43 first-place votes. Pro Football Hall of Famer Ronnie Lott had the been the most recent rookie cornerback chosen for the first team, getting the nod in 1981 with the 49ers.
“That’s a big deal to me,” Gardner said. “It was one of my goals before training camp. It’s something I pray for. I worked so hard for it. It’s a true blessing for sure.”
Jason Kelce, a center for the Philadelphia Eagles, was a first-team pick for the fifth time in his career to stay one ahead of his younger brother Travis, the Kansas City tight end. Right tackle Lane Johnson was also a first-team honoree for the Eagles, who have a first-round bye for the playoffs as the NFC’s top seed. The Chiefs are No.
1 in the AFC and also have this weekend off.
“Big honor, especially happy for (Johnson), who is the best tackle in the NFL without question, especially on the right side,” Jason said.
Johnson, a second-time All-Pro, has missed the past two games with an adductor injury but hopes to return when the Eagles host in the divisional round next weekend.
“We put in a lot of time and effort in the game,” he said. “Especially as you get older, you start to cherish it.”
Las Vegas Raiders running back Josh Jacobs was among the 16 first-time All-Pros. Jacobs led the NFL in rushing with 1,653 yards, ran for 12 touchdowns and averaged 4.9 yards per carry. The Raiders had three first-team picks despite finishing 6-11.
“The year definitely didn’t go the way we wanted it to but, individually, it’s definitely an honor to be selected,” Jacobs said.
Jefferson, who had a league-best 128 catches and 1,809 receiving yards for the Vikings, is the other newcomer on offense. The Miami Dolphins’ Tyreek Hill made it for the fourth time overall and third time as a receiver. Hill had 119 catches for 1,710 yards and seven touchdowns in his first season with Miami after being traded by the Chiefs. Raiders receiver Davante Adams got the nod for a third time, having totaled 100 receptions for 1,516 yards and 14 scores in his first season in Las Vegas.
Dallas Cowboys right guard Zack Martin is now a six-time All-Pro, while 49ers left tackle Trent Williams and Cleveland Browns left guard Joel Bitonio made it for the second straight season.
Mahomes also was an All-Pro for the 2018 season, when he was the NFL MVP. He led the league by passing for 5,250 yards and 41 touchdowns during the recently completed regular season, helping the Chiefs go 14-3 to capture their seventh straight AFC West Division title. Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts got one first-team vote, preventing Mahomes from being a unanimous choice.
Cowboys edge rusher Micah Parsons, 49ers linebacker Fred Warner and Pittsburgh Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick are the only returning All-Pros on defense. It’s a third time for Fitzpatrick. Parsons, who had 13 1/2 sacks, made it as a linebacker his rookie season last year.
San Francisco’s Bosa, Kansas City’s Jones, Jets defensive lineman Quinnen Williams, Baltimore Ravens linebacker Roquan Smith, Buffalo Bills linebacker Matt Milano, Denver Broncos cornerback Patrick Surtain II and 49ers safety Talanoa Hufanga all earned their first All-Pro selection.
Bosa led the NFL with 18.5 sacks. Williams had 11.
“I tell my wife my goals every day so she can keep me accountable and make sure I do the right thing, and it was become a Pro Bowler and an All-Pro,” Williams said. “To get this news, all the work I put in has paid off and I’ve got to continue to do the same thing.”
All six first-team selections on special teams are first-time picks, too: Raiders kicker Daniel Carlson, Chiefs punter Tommy Townsend, Green Bay Packers kick returner Keisean Nixon, New England Patriots punt returner Marcus Jones, Washington Commanders special teamer Jeremy Reaves and Vikings long snapper Andrew DePaola.
The Tennessee Titans had two second-team picks — defensive interior lineman Jeffery Simmons for the second straight season and rookie punter Ryan Stonehouse — and Atlanta Falcons right guard Chris Lindstrom was a second-team choice in his first All-Pro recognition.