Sauce Gardner trade grades: No. 1 seed Colts make home run swing, Jets land massive haul for star corner

The 2025 trade deadline in the NFL has been kicked into overdrive. While smaller deals filtered throughout Tuesday morning, the Indianapolis Colts and New York Jets took it to a new level. The first blockbuster of deadline day has been agreed to with All-Pro cornerback Sauce Gardner being dealt from New York to Indy in exchange for two first-round picks. 

This is as big of an in-season trade as you'll find in NFL history and one that came out of left field. While the Jets do find themselves with one of the worst records in the NFL at 1-7 and at the bottom of the AFC East, Gardner was not on the bingo card to be dealt at the deadline. That's especially true given that the team had just inked him to a four-year, $120.4 million contract extension back in July. For the Colts, this is a home run swing as they double down on their 2025 roster that has exceeded expectations and is currently the No. 1 seed in the NFL, entering Week 10 at 7-2. 

This is a deal that will have the NFL buzzing, but how did each club do in the blockbuster? Below, we'll hand out our grades for this mega trade between the Jets and Colts. 

The trade

• Colts get: CB Sauce Gardner
• Jets get: 2026 first-round pick, 2027 first-round pick, WR AD Mitchell

Indianapolis Colts: A

Sauce Gardner

NYJ • CB • #1

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After a 7-2 start to the season that has them slotted as the No. 1 seed in the AFC at the moment, the 2025 Colts were worth investing in, and the front office did just that with a massive swing for Gardner. Offensively, they have one of the top units in the league with Daniel Jones, Jonathan Taylor, and Tyler Warren leading the way. One of their key weaknesses, however, came on the defensive side of the ball, specifically in the secondary. There, the club ranked at the bottom of the league in some vital areas. 

Gardner is just the type of player who can come in and turn the tide in a more positive direction for the Colts and make them even more of a serious contender in the AFC. Not only is this a fantastic move for the 2025 Colts, but Gardner is under team control through the 2030 season. At the end of this deal, Gardner will have played through his age-30 season, meaning Indy has an All-Pro caliber corner in-house for his entire prime. Because of that team control, it makes sending those two first-rounders much more palatable. Players like Gardner do not become available quite often, so credit to Chris Ballard for pulling off one of the more stunning trades in recent deadline memory. 

New York Jets: A

After you get past the initial shock of moving on from a player with a name value like Gardner, the Jets came out well in this trade. In a perfect world, you're not sending a player of his caliber out the door, but New York is going nowhere fast. Not only are they 1-7 in 2025, but it feels like they are years away from truly being in contention. They've already benched Justin Fields and are going to be in the quarterback market again this offseason. Also, the jury is still out on whether first-year head coach Aaron Glenn will see Year 2. By the time they actually get to a point where they are competing, Gardner's prime may have come and gone. The front office seems to have made that determination and decided he was more valuable now as an asset, despite inking him to that massive contract extension this offseason. They get a king's ransom in return for him and are now armed with two first-round picks in each of the next two NFL Drafts. That should allow them even more flexibility to find that elusive franchise quarterback.