By DENNIS WASZAK Jr. AP Pro Football Writer
The New York Jets pulled off a stunner by saying so long to Sauce Gardner.
The star cornerback, one of the team’s most popular and accomplished players, was traded to the Indianapolis Colts on Tuesday for a first-round draft pick in 2026 and another in 2027, along with wide receiver Adonai Mitchell, pending physicals.
“Having the opportunity to acquire a talented player like Sauce Gardner was one we did not want to pass on,” Colts general manager Chris Ballard said in a statement.
Gardner, an All-Pro selection in his first two seasons, signed a four-year, $120.4 million contract extension with the Jets in July and appeared to be a cornerstone player for new coach Aaron Glenn and general manager Darren Mougey.
“New York it’s been real,” Gardner posted with a green heart emoji on X.
It was the first of two massive trades by Mougey before the deadline Tuesday. New York also agreed to trade defensive lineman Quinnen Williams to Dallas for a second-round pick in 2026, a first-round pick in 2027 and defensive tackle Mazi Smith, two people with knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the teams hadn’t announced the trade.
Gardner was the No. 4 overall pick in the 2022 NFL draft out of Cincinnati and quickly established himself as one of the league’s top cornerbacks during his first two seasons with the Jets. He was selected the AP Defensive Rookie of the Year and made the All-Pro team in consecutive years — the only cornerback to do so in his first two seasons since the 1970 merger — for then-coach Robert Saleh and defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich.
He had a slightly down year, by his standards, last season and was excited to play for Glenn and defensive coordinator Steve Wilks. The Jets rewarded Gardner with the big extension in July that made him the NFL’s highest-paid cornerback. It came just 24 hours after New York also gave a massive extension to wide receiver Garrett Wilson, who was selected by the team six picks after Gardner.
Gardner got off to an up-and-down start this season, but was mostly solid since before missing the team’s win at Cincinnati with a concussion.
Gardner now goes from a Jets team coming off winning its first game after opening with seven losses to a Colts squad that has been one of the NFL’s biggest surprises with a 7-2 start that ties Indianapolis with New England and Denver for the most victories in the AFC.
“He was a player that we scouted heavily coming out of college and there’s a reason he was the fourth overall pick,” Ballard said. “Sauce is a proven cornerback. His skill and competitive nature will elevate everyone’s play on the defensive unit. We’re thrilled he’s a Colt.”
Indy scrambled to plug holes in its injury-riddled secondary even before the regular season started. The Colts signed free agents Charvarius Ward and Cam Bynum during the offseason to revamp a unit that struggled last season. The Colts even tried cornerback Xavien Howard, a two-time NFL interceptions champ who did not play in 2024, after losing two promising rookies — safety Hunter Wohler and cornerback Justin Walley — with season-ending injuries in training camp.
Howard retired after playing just four games. Ward is now on injured reserve after suffering a concussion in a collision during pregame warmups on Oct. 12.
Indy’s latest attempt to find a solution came last weekend when third-year cornerback Jaylon Jones was activated off injured reserve. He played reasonably well in a loss to Pittsburgh, but the defense’s performance in that game demonstrated the Colts still needed to reinforce their biggest weakness on the team — the secondary.
Gardner could fit the bill.
The trade evoked memories of the deal New York made in 2012 when it sent Darrelle Revis – to whom Gardner was often compared for his ability to shut down receivers – to Tampa Bay in 2013 for two draft picks, including a first-rounder.
New York is shuffling its secondary in the middle of its poor season. The Jets traded for cornerback Jarvis Brownlee Jr. last month, acquiring the 2024 fifth-rounder from Tennessee in September, and dealt nickel cornerback Michael Carter II to Philadelphia last Wednesday.
The addition of Mitchell, the Colts’ second-round pick last year out of Texas, gives the Jets a boost to their thin wide receiver group. Wilson has been dealing with a knee injury that has sidelined him the past two games. New York has been looking for someone else among a group that includes Josh Reynolds, Tyler Johnson, Allen Lazard and rookie Arian Smith to step up as a clear No. 2 to help quarterback Justin Fields.
The Colts had high hopes for Mitchell when they drafted him and thought he could push another young receiver, Alec Pierce — a former college teammate of Gardner — to fulfill his potential.
Pierce responded by averaging a league-high 22.3 yards per catch last season and is second in the NFL this season at 20.9 yards.
Mitchell, however, disappointed. Just when Mitchell appeared to be emerging this season, his progression was stalled by a big blunder — dropping the ball before crossing the goal line against the Los Angeles Rams, costing him the first score of his career and resulting in a touchback. Indy lost 27-20.
In the Colts’ five games since that embarrassing blunder, Mitchell has appeared in four and hauled in two of his four targets for 15 yards. Mitchell has 32 catches for 462 yards, four carries for 6 yards and has completed his only pass attempt for 24 yards in two seasons.
“AD Mitchell is a great person and a great player,” Ballard said. “We believe he will have success in New York, and we wish him the best as he enters the next chapter of his career.”
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AP Pro Football Writers Rob Maaddi and Schuyler Dixon and AP Sports Writer Mike Marot contributed.
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