Robert Goddin-Imagn Images
Jun 10, 2026; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indianapolis Colts cornerback Sauce Gardner (1) looks on during minicamp at Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center.
While it’s not all that uncommon to see age controversies in sports such as baseball and soccer, where players are coming from all over the world, it’s not often you see one in the NFL.
In fact, I’m not sure that we’ve ever seen one in the NFL…until now.
Earlier this week, Indianapolis Colts star cornerback Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner revealed that everyone has been wrong about his age for a number of years, and he’s not sure why.
Sauce Gardner Is Actually One Year Younger Than Everyone Thought
Up until the correction, Gardner’s birthdate was listed publicly on everything from the Colts’ website, ESPN, and event Madden as Aug. 31, 2000, which would make him 25 years old.
There’s just one problem. That’s not Gardner’s birthday. At least, not according to the former first-round pick and two-time All-Pro.
Sauce Gardner reveals his real age after a conspiracy theory went viral 😭 pic.twitter.com/YiKU27U60D
— B/R Gridiron (@brgridiron) June 18, 2026
“I’m 24,” Gardner said, via James Boyd of The Athletic. “It’s crazy that I’m even being asked this.”
“It’s wrong in Madden, too?” Gardner then asked. “That’s crazy because I never checked. Because when it comes to the paperwork and everything I’ve signed, it all says ’01. So I don’t know where or how it got messed up unless people just get it straight from Google.”
While the situation seems funny enough, and it largely is, it could have significant financial ramifications for Gardner moving forward if the entire league believed he was one year older than he actually is.
Gardner is set to begin the first of a four-year, $120 million contract this season, and if he’s actually 24, not 25, it means he’ll hit free agency again at 28, not 29.
That may seem like a small difference, but given the steep age curve in the NFL, it could be a key negotiating factor for Gardner come time for his next contract talks.