In the biggest and most surprising move of the 2025 NFL trade deadline, the Indianapolis Colts have acquired star cornerback Sauce Gardner from the New York Jets in a blockbuster deal that sent wide receiver Adonai Mitchell and two future first-round draft picks to New York.  The move comes after Gardner signed a record-setting four-year, $120.4 million contract extension in July that made him the highest-paid cornerback in league history.

The trade was finalized just hours before the league’s deadline, with Gardner, one of the Jets’ most celebrated players and among the NFL’s elite defensive backs, now heading to Indianapolis to anchor a struggling Colts secondary. According to CBS Sports, Gardner’s trade marks only the sixth time in the last 40 years that a player has been dealt midseason for multiple first-round picks.

Gardner wrote on X, confirming his departure from the team that drafted him: “New York it’s been real”

The 25-year-old cornerback, selected fourth overall by the Jets in the 2022 NFL Draft out of Cincinnati, quickly became one of football’s brightest young stars. He earned the AP Defensive Rookie of the Year award and was named First-Team All-Pro in each of his first two seasons, making him the first rookie cornerback ever to achieve that honor.

Gardner’s production dipped slightly last season and this year he’s been solid if not spectacular. Through seven games, logging 20 combined tackles and six passes defensed, allowing 7.2 yards per attempt in coverage over the past two seasons—still among the best marks in the league. Since entering the NFL, Gardner has allowed the lowest completion percentage (46%) of any cornerback and has three career interceptions.

The acquisition of Gardner underscores Indianapolis’ urgency to strengthen a defense that has been struggling. The Colts currently rank near the bottom of the NFL in several key defensive categories—29th in third-down defense (46%), 26th in completion percentage allowed on throws of 20 or more air yards (44%), and last in passing yards per game outside the numbers (152.2).

For the Jets, the trade brings a potential boost on offense with the addition of wide receiver Adonai Mitchell. The 2024 second-round pick (No. 52 overall) has recorded nine receptions for 152 yards this season after posting 23 catches for 312 yards and two touchdowns as a rookie. The former Texas standout was named the 2023 Big 12 Offensive Newcomer of the Year after leading the conference with 11 receiving touchdowns.

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