The New York Jets told the NFL and all football fans their plan at the trade deadline: Let the rebuild begin.

By trading All-Pro cornerback Sauce Gardner to the Indianapolis Colts and All-Pro defensive tackle Quinnen Williams to the Cowboys, the Jets got rid of their two best players. With a trade return of a 2026 first-round pick, 2026 second-round pick, two 2027 first-round picks, wide receiver AD Mitchell and defensive tackle Mazi Smith, the Jets are moving on from this season and looking toward the future. Unless you ask their general manager Darren Mougey.

“I wouldn’t call it a teardown,” Mougey told Jets reporters after the two blockbuster trades went down.

“The goal is always to win. These coaches and players work too hard every day, all day, with the goal of winning on Sunday.

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