Colts' Sauce Gardner Shares Telling Shane Steichen Story

Indianapolis Colts cornerback Sauce Gardner revealed what happened on his first day in the building with Indy.

[US, Mexico & Canada customers only] Nov 9, 2025; Berlin, GERMANY; Indianapolis Colts cornerback Sauce Gardner (1) reacts against the Atlanta Falcons during the Berlin Game at Olympic Stadium. | Lisi Niesner/Reuters via Imagn Images

Just a couple of months ago, the Indianapolis Colts made a blockbuster deal to acquire cornerback Sauce Gardner in exchange for two first-round picks and wide receiver AD Mitchell. The Colts made the deal as a sort of "all-in" move to help fuel a postseason push. Unfortunately, it didn't pan out as intended.

Despite that, Gardner is here to say. The young star is under contract through 2030, meaning he'll be in Indianapolis for at least five more seasons, unless he's traded.

Gardner had a memorable welcome to his new home thanks to head coach Shane Steichen. Gardner joined Pro Football Talk Live ahead of Sunday's Super Bowl action. He shared a story of his first day with the Colts, a day when he realized expectations were different in Indianapolis.

#Colts CB Sauce Gardner said he was two minutes late (7:02 am) to the training room on his first day with Indy…

HC Shane Steichen called him out in front of the entire team for being late.

“That was his way of showing me how things are — I had to get with the program.”

(via… pic.twitter.com/XHiLB5LhyK

— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) February 5, 2026

"I remember the first day," Gardner said. "I didn't expect to tell this story, but I had messed my calf up and I had to be in the training room for 7:00 AM. I get in the training room at like 7:02. I'm like 7:00 AM, 7:02, what's the difference? I walk in, Coach Shane, he's like, 'What's up Sauce?' I'm like, what's good coach?

"Boom, fast-forward to the team meeting after that training room session. Coach said, 'Sauce, you was late to the training room today. Can you tell us why you were late?' In front of the whole team. Everybody. I was looking, I'm like, 'Oh, so you didn't want to tell me?' Okay, alright. But then I'm like, okay, that was his way of showing me how things are there. I had to get with the program.

"Alright, if 7:00 AM training room, it's not just 'It's the training room, I can get there a couple minutes late', I had to be there around 6:55. It's like a meeting. It's a very unique process there," Gardner concluded.

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Another interesting part of this story is that it means Gardner was dealing with calf issues before he suffered a calf strain in Week 13 against the Houston Texans. The Colts were playing Gardner while he was injured, which could be part of the reason he went out early against Houston.

Nov 30, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indianapolis Colts cornerback Sauce Gardner (1) is helped off the field following an injury during a game against the Houston Texans at Lucas Oil Stadium. | Grace Hollars-USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images

Gardner's calf injury limited him to four appearances with the Colts, but in two of those, he left early. Gardner didn't have the immediate impact general manager Chris Ballard expected him to have, but there's no reason to panic because he's under contract until the end of the decade.

If the Colts had traded that much draft capital for a player who only had one or two years left on his deal, it would make no sense.

It's also important to note Gardner's shock at being reprimanded for being two minutes late. Not only does it mean that Steichen runs a tight ship, but it means the New York Jets don't. If Gardner was accustomed to being late, then it was probably an old habit from his time with the Jets.

With another year under the same staff, Gardner will have a better idea of the system in Indianapolis.