Who Should I Start? Kaiir Elam or Ahmad Gardner

Friday, May 2, 12:18 AM

The Dallas Cowboys chose not to pick up the fifth-year option for the 2026 season of cornerback Kaiir Elam, according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. The Cowboys acquired Elam in a trade with the Buffalo Bills this offseason, but now he will become an unrestricted free agent after the 2025 campaign. The Bills drafted the 23-year-old defensive back with the 23rd overall pick in 2022 out of the University of Florida. If Dallas had picked up his fifth-year option, they would have had to pay Elam around $12.7 million in 2026. Elam played in only three games in his second season in Buffalo in 2023 and hasn't played more than 13 games in any of his first year years in the NFL while struggling to secure a starting role. He has just 81 tackles (56 solo), two interceptions, six pass breakups and a fumble recovery in his 29 games (12 starts). Elam will be competing for a spot on Dallas' 53-man roster this summer.

Sunday, March 2, 9:20 PM

New York Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner is expected to reset the cornerback market as the highest-paid player because the two-time All-Pro is arguably the league's best shutdown cornerback, sources told SNY's Connor Hughes. The Jets will also likely consider an extension for wide receiver Garrett Wilson soon, but sources agreed that Gardner's new deal is far simpler. Additionally, Hughes got the sense at this year's NFL Combine in Indianapolis that the new Jets regime of general manager Darren Mougey and head coach Aaron Glenn are much more open to the idea of extending players after three years than former GM Joe Douglas was. Sources think that any extensions that Mougey and Glenn reward players with will be fair and to market value, assuming the organization has the financial means to pull it off. Gardner, the former fourth overall pick, had a career-low 49 tackles (36 solo), one sack and an interception in 15 starts in 2024.