Sauce Gardner Shares Sad Five-Word Message After Blockbuster Trade to Colts

Kristen Wong | Nov 4, 2025

Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner was traded to the Colts in a blockbuster deal before the NFL trade deadline. / Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

In one of the most shocking deadline day deals, the Jets traded star cornerback Sauce Gardner to the Indianapolis Colts on Tuesday.

It's no secret that the 1-7 Jets look like sellers ahead of the Nov. 4 trade deadline, but it was rather stunning to see the organization deal arguably their biggest franchise star just months after making Gardner the highest-paid cornerback in NFL history. The Colts are sending their first-round picks in 2026 and '27 plus wide receiver Adonai Mitchell in return for Gardner.

In the aftermath of the trade, Gardner shared a simple and sad message on his X (formerly Twitter) account:

"New York it's been real," Gardner wrote, adding a green heart.

New York it's been real💚

— SAUCE GARDNER (@iamSauceGardner) November 4, 2025

Gardner, 25, was in the middle of his fourth season with the Jets and earned back-to-back All-Pro nods in his first two years in New York. Despite a middling start to his 2025 campaign, he'll now take his defensive talents to the secondary-needy Colts, who currently lead the AFC with a 7-2 record.

As for the Jets, a team that once boasted one of the league's most fearsome cornerback duos in Gardner and D.J. Reed (who walked in free agency last offseason) are now severely handicapped in their defensive backfield. With the Jets' underperforming offense still struggling to find any consistent rhythm through nine weeks of the season, this could end up being a very, very long year for Gang Green.

---

More NFL on Sports Illustrated

FREE NEWSLETTER. SI BTN Newsletter. Start off your day with SI:CYMI. dark

feed