Jets Hit Jackpot With Last Year's Sauce Gardner-Colts Trade

The New York Jets were one of the worst teams in the league at the trade deadline, which caused them to shock the NFL world by swinging a few blockbuster moves.

They traded Quinnen Williams to the Dallas Cowboys while also sending Sauce Gardner to the Indianapolis Colts. The Williams deal had some rumors involved leading up to the deadline, but the Gardner trade came out of nowhere.

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In the deal, the Jets acquired a 2026 first round pick, a 2027 first round pick, and wide receiver Adonai Mitchell.

But who won the trade?

At the time of the deal, Bleacher Report's Alex Kay gave the Colts an "A" grade for the deal while giving the Jets a "B" grade. Now, Kay has regraded the deal and given the Jets an "A" grade while the Colts were given a "B-" grade. These grades could still change with more time, but it certainly seems like the Jets have won the deal.

Jets clearly won the blockbuster Sauce Gardner trade

Dec 28, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indianapolis Colts cornerback Sauce Gardner (1) before a game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Goddin-Imagn Images | Robert Goddin-Imagn Images

"While Gardner will remain a large part of Indy's plans for a bounce-back 2026 campaign and beyond, the early returns weren't great," Kay wrote. "The Colts missed out on the playoffs entirely after finishing with a losing 8-9 record and have plenty of question marks going into the new season. The Jets didn't fare much better without their superstar cornerback, but the team received plenty of value on at least one of the first-rounders they acquired in the deal.

"While it initially appeared that the 2026 pick would be late on Day 1, it instead fell to No. 16 overall. That increase in value, coupled with some promising play from Adonai Mitchell—his short tenure with Gang Green included an eight-catch, 102-yard, one-touchdown outing—helped New York flip the script and win the trade."

Once the deal came together, everything began falling in the Jets favor and against the Colts.

The Colts lost numerous key players, including Gardner and Daniel Jones. As a result, they lost a slew of important games down the stretch, turning a projected late first rounder into the No. 16 pick. Pair that with the value of the 2027 first round pick, which is high considering the question marks at quarterback for the Colts, and the Jets have two valuable first round selections from the deal.

It's going to be hard to replace Gardner in New York, but the Jets were able to squeeze every bit of trade value from their star before sending him off to New York.

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