New York Jets v Green Bay Packers - NFL Preseason 2025
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The splashiest move at the NFL trade deadline sent star cornerback Sauce Gardner to the Indianapolis Colts and was the first step in a fire sale on the New York Jets defense. Gardner got precisely what he wanted out of the deal, being moved to a contending team closer to his hometown. He called the transaction a "blessing" in his first meeting with the Indianapolis media.

Gardner said he was lying in bed when he received the news. Moments later, he was "running in circles in the house" out of excitement.

"It's a great situation for me, I feel like," Gardner said. "I got a call from the GM from the Jets. Obviously the trade deadline was coming up, so I was just like, 'Please let it be my ideal situation.' I don't want to go to a losing team. I don't want to go to a team on the other side of the world."

The Jets never won more than seven games during Garder's three-and-a-half-year run in New York. The Colts already hit that win total nine games into the 2025 season and stand in first place in the AFC South. It is a colossal upgrade in situations for one of the NFL's premier pass defenders and one that puts him in Super Bowl contention for the first time in his career.

"When he told me the Colts -- obviously I got drafted there and everything like that, but I want to win and things like that -- I was like, 'This is a great situation,'" Gardner said. "Obviously knowing a few guys on the team already, being closer to home, being closer to where I went to college, God just keeps blessing me in many ways. It's truly a blessing to be here. And my favorite color is blue, so it just worked out perfect."

The Colts sent wide receiver Adonai Mitchell and a pair of first-round picks back to New York in exchange for Gardner. It is a sizable package but one that could be well worth it if Gardner helps to shore up a passing defense that ranks No. 26 in the league in yards allowed per game (244.8). The investment could pay off for years to come, too, with the star cornerback remaining under team control through 2030.

Gardner, a former Defensive Rookie of the Year, four months ago signed a massive extension with the Jets that pays $30.1 million per year. The Colts are taking on a hefty salary but can expect to receive elite production in return. Gardner is a two-time first-team All-Pro selection who led the league in passes defended as a rookie in 2022.