Fallout From Jets-Colts Sauce Gardner Blockbuster Trade

The New York Jets shocked the National Football League on Tuesday afternoon before the 2025 National Football League trade deadline.

With the deadline fast approaching, rumors had been swirling all over the place about what the Jets could do ahead of the deadline, but New York reportedly made a move that no one saw coming. New York reportedly traded superstar cornerback Sauce Gardner to the Indianapolis Colts in exchange for two first-round picks, per ESPN's Adam Schefter.

"ESPN sources: Colts are trading two first-round picks to the Jets for CB Sauce Gardner," Schefter said. "The Jets signed Sauce Gardner to a 4-year, $120.4M extension this offseason. He gets traded just a few months later to the 7-2 Colts."

This is a franchise-altering deal that is going to be talked about for a while, so let's get into the immediate fallout from the deal:

What's next for the New York Jets?

Oct 19, 2025; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Carolina Panthers wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan (4) stiff arms New York Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner (1) in the second quarter at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Jets' cornerback room
Barring another trade, Brandon Stephens immediately becomes the Jets' No. 1 cornerback. Gardner missed the Jets' Week 8 win over the Cincinnati Bengals and rookie corner Azareye'h Thomas replaced him in the starting lineup. In the immediate future, this seems like the most likely outside pairing. The Jets also have Jarvis Brownlee Jr., but he's most likely to fully replace Michael Carter II, who was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles.

The return
In the NFL, first-round picks are viewed almost like gold. Four-time Pro Bowler and one of the top overall players in the league Micah Parsons was traded for two first-round picks ahead of the 2025 season, along with Pro Bowler Kenny Clark. ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that the Jets are also getting second-year receiver AD Mitchell in the deal. If you're going to have to trade a superstar away, getting two first-round picks is at least a solid way to build a foundation, but that brings up a bigger question.

Gardner just got paid like a franchise cornerstone, so why move him now?
This is a question that Jets head coach Aaron Glenn and general manager Darren Mougey will have to answer when the deadline passes. They spent the offseason praising Gardner and gave him a four-year, $120.4 million extension for him to be a franchise cornerstone along with Garrett Wilson. That's the difference between Parsons and Gardner. At least with Parsons, it was known that the Dallas Cowboys didn't want to give Parsons the deal he was worth. The Jets already gave Gardner the deal. So, now, they will take those two first-round picks and try to find another cornerstone player that they already had.

There's surely more to this story than initially meets the eye. As more information is provided by the team, it will be shared here. But, this is just the beginning and the initial fallout from a deal that is going to likely be discussed for years to come.

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