Jets Gain as Gardner Trade Underwhelms for Colts

The Indianapolis Colts put the NFL's collective jaw on the floor last November when they made a deadline day blockbuster, landing All-Pro cornerback Sauce Gardner . Even at the time, it was a hefty investment — shipping two first-rounders and wideout Adonai Mitchell to the Jets  — but it was Indy signaling to the league that it was pushing its chips to the middle of the table and announcing it was a playoff force to be reckoned with.

Fast-forward through the remainder of 2025 and the first few weeks of 2026, however, and that deal doesn't look so rosy for GM Chris Ballard and the Colts.

Since Gardner arrived at Lucas Oil Stadium, the Colts are 3-9 overall, which includes a 2-2 start to the regular season this year. While that win-loss mark isn't entirely on his shoulders, Gardner was brought in to help anchor Indy's defense, and the corner hasn't lived up to those expectations. As a team, the Colts are giving up 261.3 passing yards per game this season and 8.1 yards per attempt, which are both the fourth-highest in the NFL. They also have just one interception this year.

With those struggles in mind, let's revisit the trade that sent shockwaves across the league roughly 11 months ago.

The trade

- Colts receive : Sauce Gardner - Jets receive : 2026 first-round pick, 2027 first-round pick, WR Adonai Mitchell

In hindsight, this feels massively lopsided in favor of the New York Jets. They used their 2026 first-rounder to select tight end Kenyon Sadiq , who has already flashed huge pass-catching potential through the first month of the year. That includes a 7-catch, 105-yard performance against the Lions in Week 3, where he made a highlight-reel diving touchdown grab.

Kenyon Sadiq NYJ • TE • #16

TAR 18 REC 12 REC YDs 143 REC TD 1 FL 0 View Profile

Meanwhile, Adonai Mitchell, who was looked at as a throw-in piece to the deal at the time, is a legit factor in New York's passing attack when he's been healthy. In his 10 games played for the Jets, Mitchell has caught 33 balls for 424 yards and two touchdowns. That puts him on a 17-game pace of about 56 receptions for 720 receiving yards. That's a solid No. 2 or No. 3 option behind Garrett Wilson and — when healthy — first-round rookie Omar Cooper Jr .

Adonai Mitchell NYJ • WR • #15

TAR 75 REC 34 REC YDs 464 REC TD 2 FL 1 View Profile

Most importantly, trading away Gardner has helped springboard their rebuild and puts them in a strong position to potentially secure a franchise quarterback in the 2027 NFL Draft . Along with the Colts' pick they acquired in the Gardner trade, the Jets have their own first-round selection and the better of Dallas's or Green Bay's first-round pick, thanks to last year's  Quinnen Williams  deal. That creates a ton of flexibility in exchange for a player who no longer matched their timeline.

New York also got out of the four-year, $120.4 million contract extension it inked Gardner to in the summer of 2025, so it cleaned up some of its books as well (albeit by carrying some dead money).

Sauce Gardner has not played well

Sauce Gardner IND • CB • #1

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Through the first month of the season in 2026, Gardner has not played particularly well, which only amplifies how much this trade is becoming one-sided. As the primary defender in coverage, Gardner is allowing a 53.3 completion rate against, which falls in line with how he played in his four games with Indy last year (he was in and out of the lineup due to a calf injury). However, his passer rating against has skyrocketed to 120.4. That is essentially double what he did in the Colts secondary last year (63.3) and would be a career high if that holds.

Through four games this season, he's given up four completions of 20-plus yards. Already, that's the third-highest of his five-year career, with seven being his career-high in 15 games played for the Jets in 2024.

During Sunday's matchup against the Commanders in London, Gardner was noticeably torched by the combination of seventh-round rookie quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis and wideout  Dyami Brown for a 48-yard gain in the third quarter.

> Athan Kaliakmanis is letting it FLY. @INDvsWAS on NFL Network Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/GytCPyejQH — NFL (@NFL) October 4, 2026

This season, Gardner is allowing 12.4 yards per pass attempt as the primary defender in coverage. For reference, last year that figure was 5.8 yards per attempt (between the Jets and Colts). It was 7.4 in 2024, 4.4 in 2023 and 4.8 during his rookie campaign in 2022.

That's a tough look for Gardner and the Colts, especially as the team is paying him as one of the five highest-paid corners in the NFL from an AAV standpoint ($30 million per year).

The Daniel Jones conundrum

Daniel Jones IND • QB • #17

CMP% 63.6 YDs 754 TD 3 INT 4 YD/Att 5.71 View Profile

The biggest reason why the Colts made this move for Gardner in the first place was the emergence of Daniel Jones last year. The veteran quarterback arrived in Indy and resurrected his career, while leading the team to a 7-2 record just before the trade deadline. At the time, Indy felt it had finally secured its quarterback of the future and was thrust into true contention, which gave the Colts the conviction to throw multiple firsts at New York to land Gardner.

The hope was that Jones would be the face of the offense, while Gardner could help anchor the secondary and be a key pillar for the organization for years to come. As we noted, however, the floor fell out from under the Colts down the stretch.

They lost their final seven games of the year, and Jones tore his Achilles in Week 13. Jones returned to the field at the start of the 2026 season, but he hasn't looked like the quarterback we saw in the first half of last year. He's thrown more interceptions than touchdowns so far this season, and the thought of him being a foundational piece under center doesn't feel as rock-solid as it once did.

If Indy got this type of play from Jones in the first half of last year, they probably wouldn't have made the deal for Gardner, which basically says it all.

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_Originally reported by [CBS Sports](https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/revisiting-sauce-gardner-trade-new-york-jets-indianapolis-colts/)._