Sauce Gardner and Asante Samuel trade barbs after ex-Super Bowl champs’ hot take on NFL All-Pro and Pro Bowl team selections

The 2023 NFL season just witnessed a high level of intense rivalry in the season finale week. The teams that have secured their playoff races are going to gear up themselves for next level competition. Meanwhile, the last week of the NFL witnessed an unusual drama with the firing of the head coaches. From Rin Rivera to Bill Belichick, several veteran HC’s got sacked within the last several days.

Besides this, sports enthusiasts got to see a heavy brawl between New York Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner and former All-Pro cornerback Asante Samuel. Interestingly, this is not something new for the NFL community, as both of them have gotten embroiled in ugly verbal altercations in the past as well.

Sauce Gardner and Asante Samuel locked in verbal confrontation

Sauce Gardner and Asante Samuel found themselves embroiled in a heated debate over the criteria for earning All-Pro recognition. Samuel kicked off the verbal confrontation with a tweet suggesting that defensive backs should have at least one interception to be considered for All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors.

Gardner, who had a standout 2023 season, promptly responded to the post by writing, “Oh, is that right ?” with a number of laughing emojis.

Gardner posted a follow-up addressing Samuel directly by expressing frustration at having to give attention to Samuel’s persistent subtweeting.

“I’m mad I gotta give you the attention you been wanting for 2 years now… BUT this why you can’t call anybody an “OG”. OG’s make sho they support the younger generation, but you actin’ like a oldhead filled with hatred bro. I get you 43 and all, but you gotta grow up fam..”

Samuel responded by asserting that Gardner didn’t need to give him any attention and claiming not to care about him. achievements or activities.

“Homeboy you don’t have to give me anything… I’m not looking for your attention or anything from you
You sound confused I don’t care nothing about what you got going on.”

The back-and-forth continued with Gardner pointing out that Samuel consistently sub-tweeted him whenever he received accolades. Meanwhile, Samuel defended his stance on setting standards in the NFL to prevent players from being overlooked due to popularity.

Gardner later decided not to prolong the argument and stated that he would reach out to others for discussions related to defensive backs. However, Samuel retorted with a boast about his own achievements, and highlighted his significant number of interceptions and top-five rank in passes defended.

“Y’all Hit me up if you want 50 plus int’s and be top 5 in passes defended. I just can’t stop.”

The verbal sparring didn’t go unnoticed, as Samuel later responded to an NFL reporter’s post about the perceived animosity towards Gardner. He clarified that the goal was to establish standards in the NFL, and to ensure that players aren’t overlooked due to popularity.

Sauce Gardner and Asante Samuel previous beefed over CB rankings

In July 2023, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler sparked a lively debate among NFL enthusiasts with his cornerback rankings, where Sauce Gardner found himself trailing only behind Patrick Surtain II. The Bro Bible’s Dov Kleiman shared these rankings by setting off a social media exchange that unfolded between Gardner and Asante Samuel.

Samuel wasted no time in expressing his skepticism about the rankings by attributing Gardner’s high position to what he perceived as New York media bias. He called attention to the influence of the media, particularly in elevating players’ careers.

“It’s the NY media. What did Revis do [that was] so special? I’ll wait. It’s documented what great cornerbacks did in the stats”, he wrote via Pro Football Network.

Samuel took a swipe at Gang Green’s legend Darrelle Revis by questioning what made him so special in comparison to other cornerbacks. He also asserted that the Seattle Seahawks rookie Tariq Woolen had a better rookie season than Sauce.

Gardner defended the rankings by highlighting that they were based on input from players, executives, scouts, and coaches. The young cornerback urged Samuel to relax.

“The tweet literally says those were the cornerback rankings by PLAYERS, EXECUTIVES, SCOUTS, & COACHES … I’m trynna figure out why you keep bringing up NY Media,” he began toward Samuel.

The back-and-forth continued as Samuel maintained his stance on the impact of the New York media and challenged Gardner to convert more pass breakups into interceptions. Gardner, in turn, questioned why Samuel chose to address the matter publicly instead of reaching out privately. He boldly asked Samuel to name the top cornerback in the game. Samuel provided a nuanced response, claiming that the title of the best cornerback is a “year-by-year” designation. Gardner criticized his answer by implying that it downplayed the significance of consistent performance.

The debate concluded with Samuel advising Gardner not to misinterpret his tweets. He emphasized the importance of enjoying the journey and encouraged Gardner to continue excelling on the field.