Colts Jets Trade Grades Indianapolis Goes All In With Latest Acquisiti

Bonisiwe Shabane

-Nov 17, 2025, 12:11 PM

colts jets trade grades indianapolis goes all in with latest acquisiti

The Colts and Jets added plenty of excitement to Tuesday’s NFL trade deadline, executing a shocking trade that came out of nowhere. New York traded star cornerback Sauce Gardner to Indianapolis for two first-round picks and second-year wide receiver Adonai Mitchell. This is a stunning deal, even with the Jets at 1–7. Gardner is only 25, was viewed as a core player and was just given a four-year, $120.4 million contract extension in the offseason. While the Jets are ready for a complete makeover, the Colts went all in after a surprising 7–2 start. Indianapolis needed to make a few defensive moves to support its productive offense and to be taken seriously as a Super Bowl contender.

Here are the grades for this shocking trade. Sign Up. SI NFL Newsletter. Get MMQB's Free Newsletter. dark The Indianapolis Colts have new owners, and apparently a new approach to roster construction.

Carlie Irsay-Gordon, Kalen Jackson and Casey Foyt have decided to pursue a Super Bowl in their first season as primary owners. The Colts — who share the NFL's best record at 7-2 — dealt away two first-round draft picks (2026, '27) and wide receiver Adonai Mitchell on Tuesday, Nov. 4 for cornerback Sauce Gardner. While Gardner's production has been off this season with the struggling New York Jets, the Colts believe adding him to a defensive backfield with Kenny Moore, Jaylon Jones, Charvarius Ward (when he returns from... A lot of NFL experts love the move, while some believe the Colts have given up too much of their future. "Sauce Gardner is still just 25 years old and under contract through 2030, so he should be a franchise staple for years.

And with a coordinator like Lou Anarumo, he should be in terrific hands." "The Colts needed to think about going all in with a team capable of winning the AFC with a conference-best 7-2 record after Week 9. Cornerback was a glaring weakness with the Chiefs, Bills, Steelers and other top teams in mind for the playoffs. Gardner is a game changer and ideal fit for Lou Anarumo's aggressive defense." The Indianapolis Colts pulled off arguably the biggest trade of deadline day on Tuesday when they acquired Sauce Gardner from the New York Jets. To say Gardner getting traded wasn't on anyone's radar would be an colossal understatement, as there were no rumblings about the possibility of the star cornerback being moved ahead of the trade deadline

The massive upgrade at cornerback for an Indy defense that is bottom-10 versus the pass came at the cost of two first-round picks and wide receiver Adonai Mitchell. Gardner more than fills the void left by Xavien Howard's retirement and he'll form a strong one-two punch at cornerback with Charvarius Ward once he gets back from injured reserve. With the Colts shockingly in position to compete for big things in 2025, it was good to see general manager Chris Ballard take a big swing like he did with Gardner, who now fortifies... The Colts acquired premier cornerback Sauce Gardner from the Jets in exchange for a pair of first-round picks and wide receiver AD Mitchell. Luke Hales / Getty Images The NFL trade deadline has come and gone, and it didn’t disappoint.

The New York Jets stole all the headlines (including ours) by trading away two of their best players in cornerback Sauce Gardner and defensive tackle Quinnen Williams, in exchange for a haul of draft... It’s all about the future now for the Jets. The same, however, cannot be said for the Indianapolis Colts, who sent a pair of first-rounders to New York for Gardner. The Colts clearly believe the AFC is up for grabs, and they pushed their chips to the center. Of course, the Gardner and Williams deals weren’t the only ones of significance made in the past 24 hours. There have been plenty of moves that could change the course of the season, and we’ve broken them all down here, providing some brief thoughts, analysis and, of course, trade grades for every deal...

The New Orleans Saints traded offensive lineman Trevor Penning to the Los Angeles Chargers for a 2027 sixth-round pick, league sources told The Athletic. The Chargers have one of the best young tackle tandems in the NFL with Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt. Problematically, however, both are done for the season with injuries. 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... 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. 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.

Passing yards per game outside the numbers Grades are being handed out to the Indianapolis Colts for their pre-trade deadline deal with the New York Jets for cornerback Sauce Gardner. So how did the Colts fare in the eyes of the NFL experts? In order to land Gardner, the Colts traded away two first-round draft picks and wide receiver AD Mitchell. Gardner is a two-time All-Pro cornerback and is still just 25 years old. He's been very stingy in coverage throughout his career, allowing a completion rate of 50% with 36 pass breakups and three interceptions.

Gardner will be a very good fit for Lou Anarumo's aggressive defensive scheme. His presence can have an impact on the pass rush and how Anarumo calls games. The Indianapolis Colts are going for it. The New York Jets have traded star cornerback Sauce Gardner to the Colts, NFL Media first reported and later confirmed by FOX Sports' Jay Glazer. Indianapolis will give up two first-round picks (2026 and 2027) plus wide receiver Adonai Mitchell, Glazer reported. Gardner confirmed the move on social media around the time it was reported that the trade went down.

"New York it's been real," Gardner wrote in a post with a green heart emoji. The move might be one of the most surprising trades in recent NFL memory. Ahead of the trade deadline, there weren't any rumors of the Jets shopping Gardner around ahead of the trade deadline. The Jets also gave Gardner a four-year, $120.4 million extension with $85.6 million in guaranteed money in July, making him the highest-paid cornerback in NFL history. In the lead-up to Tuesday, there seemed to be a serious shortage of superstar players on the trade block, with the likes of Myles Garrett and Maxx Crosby seemingly off limits. But a flurry of action gave way to a truly stunning deal with a little more than three hours remaining to the cutoff, as the Indianapolis Colts agreed to acquire two-time All-Pro cornerback Sauce...

The swap sends one of the league's most accomplished young defenders from the bottom of the AFC to the top of the conference. It also single-handedly reshaped each team's outlook for both the short and long term. Where did this version of Chris Ballard come from? Getting uncharacteristically bold has served the Colts general manager extremely well in the past few months, as his more aggressive moves helped set the table for Indianapolis' resurgence. This, however, is the kind of move that Ballard might have laughed off as pure fantasy or speculation in previous years. Now, it's his reality.

There's strong incentive for Indianapolis to try to fully capitalize on what it has this season. And at 25, Gardner can be an asset for years to come. But this was an exorbitant price to pay for a player already due a massive sum.

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Here are the grades for this shocking trade. Sign Up. SI NFL Newsletter. Get MMQB's Free Newsletter. dark The Indianapolis Colts have new owners, and apparently a new approach to roster construction.

Colts Jets Trade Grades Indianapolis Goes All In With Latest Acquisiti

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The Colts And Jets Added Plenty Of Excitement To Tuesday’s

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Carlie Irsay-Gordon, Kalen Jackson And Casey Foyt Have Decided To

And With A Coordinator Like Lou Anarumo, He Should Be

The Massive Upgrade At Cornerback For An Indy Defense That