Sep 21, 2025; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans (13) catches pass defended boy New York Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner (1) in the third quarter at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

After a slow start to the week of the 2025 NFL trade deadline, the Indianapolis Colts and New York Jets sent things into hyperdrive.

The Colts landed the biggest name on the trade market since Micah Parsons became a Green Bay Packer, prying two-time All-Pro cornerback Sauce Gardner from the Jets in exchange for two first round picks. Indianapolis general manager Chris Ballard saw the opportunity a 7-2 start spurred by a rejuvenated Daniel Jones created. With one massive trade, he announced his team's intention to leave an uneven field of contenders in the dust en route to Super Bowl 60.

New York, on the other hand, dealt away a player who once looked like a building block but has spent the last season-plus spinning his wheels for a directionless franchise. Gardner thrived under former head coach Robert Saleh, but Saleh's 2024 firing led to a significant downgrade across the Jets' defense. After All-Pro nods in 2022 and 2023, Gardner wasn't even a Pro Bowler in 2024. He was trending in a similar direction this fall.

Ballard is laying a significant wager that a change of scenery is all Gardner needs to reclaim his greatness. That's a massive risk. Let's see how it could pay off.

Colts and Jets trade details

  • The Colts get: CB Sauce Gardner
  • The Jets get: 2026 and 2027 first round picks and WR Adonai Mitchell

Colts trade grade

Indianapolis laid a couple bets on former All-Pro corners last offseason. Charvarius Ward, released by the San Francisco 49ers, arrived in Indiana on a three-year, $54 million deal but was uneven on the field and is currently on injured reserve due to a head injury. Xavien Howard unretired, played four games with a 131.9 passer rating allowed in September, then promptly decided football was no longer for him.

With ace slot corner Kenny Moore 30 years old and dealing with his own injuries, an opportunity arose for Ballard to turn a top 10 passing defense into an elite one and fix future problems before they could arise. The cost was significant. Two first round picks for a player making an average of $30 million annually, as well as a frustrating-but-intriguing wide receiver who was a second round pick in 2024. That's an elite trade package for a player who hasn't been elite since 2023.

But Gardner is only 25 years old. His backslide is inextricable from the coaching turnover that haunted the Jets the last two seasons. While he was unable to fully regain his lockdown form under Glenn, he's been better than the numbers suggest because he's constantly taking the toughest tests the NFL has to offer. FTN analytics guru Aaron Schatz pegs him as the league's eighth-best cornerback this season so far -- not quite elite, but still Pro Bowl caliber.

His presence gives the Colts tantalizing potential in the secondary. A Gardner-Ward-Moore trio, if healthy, gives Indy three cornerbacks who can be trusted in single coverage. That's important, considering safeties Cam Byrum and Nick Cross have struggled in patches this season and could now be freed to bring support closer to the line of scrimmage where their off-ball linebackers could use help. It also means fewer snaps for undrafted rookie Jonathan Edwards, who has a 120.8 passer rating allowed in coverage this fall.

Still, dealing two first round picks for a player who'll eat up a chunk of cap space for a team that will need to re-sign Jones next offseason puts a squeeze on Ballard's roster management. We've only seen Gardner be truly great under Saleh. Tuesday's deal is a massive bet that Shane Steichen and coordinator Lou Anarumo can do the same.

Given Anurumo's ability to weave straw into gold with the Cincinnati Bengals, it's a good bet to make.

Grade: B+

Jets trade grade

New York recognized a trend and sold high while it still had a chance. But Gardner's backslide and the Jets' downturn from "bad" to "awful" this fall made it a sensible decision to part ways. There's no denying the price was right -- that 2027 first round pick could be wildly valuable should Jones sign elsewhere after the season or return to his Danny Dimes stasis after sprinting out to MVP status in the first half of 2025.

Mitchell should get a chance to prove he's more than just a tangled ball of potential and bad decisions in an offense in dire need of receivers. Garrett Wilson has been handling a Gardner-like workload as the team's only reliable wideout while Mitchell played a background role in one of the league's deepest WR corps.

Losing Gardner will hurt New York's defense, but that unit came into the trade deadline ranked 27th in dropback EPA allowed. He alone couldn't stop the tide that had swallowed his franchise in a sea of forgettable football. The Jets' rebuild will not be a single year process. There's a lot of work to be done here. Trading Gardner reloads for the future and should help ensure the 2026 top three pick New York can turn into a hyped quarterback prospect it inevitably breaks.

Grade: A-

This article originally appeared on For The Win: Sauce Gardner trade grades: Who won Colts-Jets deal?

Reporting by Christian D'Andrea, For The Win / For The Win

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