Sauce Gardner Trade Unveils Colts' Plan for Daniel Jones

The Indianapolis Colts showed what they want to do with quarterback Daniel Jones by trading for Sauce Gardner.

Nov 2, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Indianapolis Colts quarterback Daniel Jones (17) warms up before the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

The Indianapolis Colts pulled off a stunning trade with the New York Jets for one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL in Sauce Gardner.

It wasn't cheap, however. The Colts had to relinquish their 2026 and 2027 first-round picks, along with wide receiver Adonai Mitchell.

The full trade that is sending Sauce Gardner to the 7-2 Colts 👀 pic.twitter.com/nBLFQrcFL4

— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) November 4, 2025

While all the attention will focus on Gardner, his pairing with Charvarius Ward, and Lou Anarumo, there's an underlying subject here regarding what the Colts gave to the Jets.

Those two first-round selections are a clear indicator that quarterback Daniel Jones will be a Colt for years to come.

A team goes all-in with Daniel Jones, what a time to be alive

— Timo Riske (@PFF_Moo) November 4, 2025

This league is all about what a quarterback has done for a team lately, and for Jones, that's a rough one to accept right now.

After playing fantastic, MVP-level football for eight straight weeks, Jones fell apart with his elite offensive line that was tissue paper against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Jones was responsible for a whopping five turnovers.

Three interceptions and two fumbles lost are horrific for one game, but the entire Colts offense was a mess, so it's a difficult argument to claim Jones was the issue.

Even after a disastrous performance, Jones still has 2,404 passing yards (leads the NFL), 14 TD passes, five rushing scores, and only six interceptions.

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Indianapolis Colts quarterback Daniel Jones (17) smiles while talking to teammates on Sunday, Oct. 26, 2025, ahead of the game at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. | Grace Hollars/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Jones has so many detractors and skeptics that following his rough showing against Pittsburgh, some were claiming he was going back to the the New York Giants-version of Jones.

Jones struggled in big-time fashion with the Giants, only winning 24 out of 69 starts. Jones wasn't good, sure, but the Giants franchise gave him only Saquon Barkley.

They forgot everything else offensively, tossing him in with a consistently awful offensive line, no top wide receivers, and no real help at tight end.

Minus one good season that saw Jones lead the Giants to 9-6-1, a playoff spot, and a Wild Card victory, the rest was pretty awful.

It's honestly shocking that the Giants still have Brian Daboll as the head coach given how often New York disappoints and drops games. Daboll worked as well with Jones as peanut butter mixes with razor wire, and it showed.

Brian Daboll is fed up with Daniel Jones 😳 pic.twitter.com/OfqDakY1rG

— Complex Sports (@ComplexSports) October 3, 2023

Jones is in the right offense, has the right protection, the right ultimate weapon in Jonathan Taylor, a great set of pass-catchers led by Michael Pittman Jr. and Tyler Warren, and the right head coach in Shane Steichen.

Back to Gardner. His deal isn't just a good tie in to what the Colts plan to do with Jones, but also their belief in Anarumo.

It also doesn't hurt your next franchise quarterback to give him an All-Pro-level cornerback on the other side of the football. It was also a need for the Colts' defense, given the brutal number of injuries.

Now that Gardner is a Colt, it turns this cornerback room from a low point on the defense to one of its strengths and most prominent features.

Sep 21, 2025; Tampa, Florida, USA; New York Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner (1) looks on before a game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

We'll see what's ahead for Gardner in this new setting, but it's very encouraging. Anarumo, another CB1 in Ward, and the Colts being a true contender all bode well for Gardner's success becoming a reality.

As for Jones, he gets one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL to help him get the football back in numerous ways.

It will be interesting to see what kind of contract Jones lands with the Colts when the time comes to ink one. It's not definitive that Jones is Indy's next QB, but to say it's 99.99 percent certain isn't wrong.