The New York Jets traded two-time All-Pro CB Sauce Gardner to the Indianapolis Colts.
In return, the Jets received two future first-round picks and wide receiver Adonai Mitchell.
The trade sends Gardner from a struggling Jets team to the Colts, who are projected as the AFC’s top seed.
This move provides the Jets with significant draft capital to rebuild their roster in the coming years.
It took a good, long while, but a blockbuster finally dropped ahead of the NFL’s 4 p.m. ET, Nov. 4, deadline to execute trades for this season.
The New York Jets stunningly shipped two-time All-Pro CB Sauce Gardner, whom they’d signed to a four-year, $120.4 million extension just three months ago, to the Indianapolis Colts. In return, the Jets get two first-round picks (2026 and ’27) plus WR Adonai Mitchell.
A shocking move for both squads seems bound to set off major reverberations now and well into the future. Let’s try to sort it out and parse the winners and losers from a bombshell transaction:
WINNERS
Sauce Gardner
The No. 4 overall pick of the 2022 draft leaves a team that had never allowed him to sniff the playoffs to one that’s currently projected as the AFC’s No. 1 postseason seed, which means a first-round playoff bye and home-field advantage. And Indy will need Gardner to immediately step up as he fits in to a 26th-ranked pass defense plagued by injuries to players like CB Charvarius Ward (concussion), a major offseason acquisition. Pro Bowl slot CB Kenny Moore II was fighting an Achilles issue for much of October but is now back in the lineup. Given the rate at which Indy’s top-ranked scoring offense puts points on the board, Gardner will likely find himself tested frequently by teams forced into catch-up mode through the air.
Chris Ballard
The Colts’ general manager has generally adhered to a draft, develop and re-sign philosophy – which is probably wise in theory but has also been problematic while he’s tried to solve the team’s post-Andrew Luck quarterback issues. Apparently confident that he’s found that solution with another New York castoff, Daniel Jones, Ballard is doubling down on a team that probably qualifies as the league’s biggest surprise of this season. Sunday’s loss to Pittsburgh allowed the New England Patriots and Denver Broncos to pull even with Indy in the AFC standings, though the Colts currently own the tiebreaker advantage. They also now add Gardner, who should not only give this defense a boost but is emblematic of the front office’s faith in a roster that most certainly has the inside track to the AFC South title at minimum. And don’t forget, the last time Ballard swung a major deal with the Jets – ahead of the 2018 draft – he wound up with offensive line mainstays Quenton Nelson and Braden Smith, while New York did a bang-up job of stunting the early development of former QB Sam Darnold. Overall, bravo to Ballard for breaking with form in a bid to further propel his ascendant squad.
Azareye’h Thomas
Let’s see what you got, rook. The promising third-rounder from Florida State should see his playing time with the Jets go through the roof with Gardner out of the picture.
Lou Anarumo
Indy’s new defensive coordinator has generally had a stabilizing impact on a unit that’s struggled mightily in recent seasons. Now he’s got another effective cover guy – whether he gets hot Sauce or the milder variant – who should help Anarumo’s pass rushers, who don’t receive much assistance from the blitz, get home with even greater efficacy.
Aaron Glenn and Darren Mougey
It’s been a rough season for the Jets’ rookie coach and GM, respectively. But getting sign-off on a deal of this magnitude not only says something about their job security but also provides them with ample runway, in terms of time and capital, to improve this roster and culture with players they consider better fits. Having four first-rounders over the next two drafts could also signify the Jets are amassing ammo to target a quarterback of their liking given the Justin Fields experiment seems to have fizzled.
2026 draft-eligible quarterbacks
Whether you’re Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza, Oregon’s Dante Moore, Alabama’s Ty Simpson or otherwise, you can feel rather confident that the Jets will provide another surefire landing spot at or near the top of the 2026 draft board – and the consequential payday that comes with being a top-five pick at a time when none of them might actually be top-five overall prospects when next April rolls around.
LOSERS
2026 draft-eligible quarterbacks
Somebody’s going to the Jets … Better get Darnold’s number for advice, fellas.
Adonai Mitchell
A second-round pick last year, perhaps he’ll benefit moving to a Jets team badly in need of help at wideout. Yet it’s not only damning that Ballard readily cut the cord to Mitchell, who appeared to slide down last year’s draft board to No. 52 overall, he’ll also be joining the league’s worst passing offense – and one where WR Garrett Wilson gets most of the target share from Fields, his former Ohio State teammate.
Sauce Gardner
A standout during his first two NFL seasons, Gardner has retrograded to average over the past two. Per PFF, opposing quarterbacks are currently achieving a passer rating of 102.5 when targeting him, easily the worst rate of his career. Perhaps worse, it’s not a great look for the Jets’ new regime to give up on him so quickly after he appeared to be contractually cemented as a franchise cornerstone. Gardner may be out of Gotham’s spotlight, but Indy fans will be watching their new investment closely given what he might cost them down the road.
