Jets Trade Away Sauce Gardner Quinnen Williams Analyzing The Moves

Bonisiwe Shabane

-Nov 17, 2025, 12:18 PM

jets trade away sauce gardner quinnen williams analyzing the moves

The NFL trade deadline came and went on Tuesday, Nov. 4, without the Arizona Cardinals making a single move. A good majority of the league was very active, however, in the minutes, hours, days and weeks leading up to the 4 p.m. EST deadline. Some of the deals leading up to the deadline included the Cincinnati Bengals acquiring quarterback Joe Flacco in a rare, intra-division trade with the Cleveland Browns, the Philadelphia Eagles adding cornerbacks Jaire Alexander and... Here is a recap of the seven deadline-day trades that were made, with some analysis as to who got the better of the deal.

In a blockbuster move, the New York Jets traded All-Pro cornerback Sauce Gardner to the Indianapolis Colts for two first-round draft picks (one each in 2026 and 2027) and wide receiver Adonai Mitchell. Analysis: This is a win-win for both franchises. The 7-2 Colts get the cornerback they have been missing — and one of the best corners in the game — in a trade that signifies they are all in on a potential run... The Jets had just signed Gardner, a four-year pro, to a four-year, $120.4 million extension this offseason. A 1-7 start this season forced them to look toward the future, and now they’ve cleared up a ton of cash and salary cap space and have two extra first-rounders to do some rebuilding. New York Jets head coach Aaron Glenn stands along the sideline during the second half of an NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Sunday, Oct.

26, 2025, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Jeff Dean) New York Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner (1), gestures during an NFL football practice at The Grove in Watford, England, Friday, Oct. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung) New York Jets defensive tackle Quinnen Williams (95), attends an NFL football practice at The Grove in Watford, England, Friday, Oct.

10, 2025. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung) FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) — Darren Mougey insisted this wasn’t “a teardown.” Aaron Glenn reiterated that the New York Jets will be a team that makes the fans proud. But a day after trading two of the biggest stars in Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams, it was clear the Jets are in a major rebuild during which patience will need to precede pride. 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. If there's one thing that's clear about NFL trade deadline day, it's that the New York Jets are in full rebuild mode.

Shortly after sending shockwaves around the league by trading All-Pro and Defensive Rookie of the Year winner in cornerback Sauce Gardner to the Indianapolis Colts, the Jets weren't done there, and they still likely... Now it's defensive tackle Quinnen Williams' turn, as the All-Pro and three-time Pro Bowler was traded to the Dallas Cowboys on Tuesday afternoon. In return, the Jets received a 2026-second round pick, a 2027 first-round selection and defensive tackle Mazi Smith from Dallas. With less than an hour until the 4 p.m. trade deadline, it seems as if the Jets aren't done yet with players such as running back Breece Hall, linebacker Quincy Williams and potentially others expected to be on the move if deals go... In this week’s Tuesday notes, we have the NFL trade deadline covered pillar-to-post.

Let’s dive in. • Here’s the reality of the Jets’ situation: The new brass went into the week leading up to the trade deadline open for business, and open for business in large part because, after a... The team’s 1–7 for a reason. That’s no blip, either. The Jets haven’t won more than seven games in a season in a decade. They haven’t made the playoffs in a decade and a half.

So Sauce Gardner is off to the Colts for two first-round picks and WR Adonai Mitchell, and Quinnen Williams is a Cowboy, for a 2026 second-round pick and a 2027 first-round pick and DT... Those are two of three players, with Michael Carter II also dealt (to Philly) the last week, off a defense that ranked fourth in the NFL in 2022 and third in each of the... Sign Up. SI NFL Newsletter. Get MMQB's Free Newsletter. dark

Either of the Jets' Tuesday trades, of CB Sauce Gardner to Indianapolis and DL Quinnen Williams to Dallas, certainly fits the definition of a word many football observers are using on NFL trade deadline... But taken together, Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025, has to be considered the biggest day of players-for-picks trading in franchise history. And in the particulars of the two trades of former first-round draft choices — Gardner to the Colts for two first-round picks (in 2026 and '27) and WR Adonai Marshall, then Williams to the... The most recent such monster trade before Tuesday happened a bit more than five years ago, when the Jets on July 25, 2020, sent former No. 1 selection S Jamal Adams to Seattle (plus a fourth-round pick in the 2022 draft) to Seattle for two first-rounders and a Round 3 choice (plus S Bradley McDougald).

The second of those first-rounders was the 10th pick of the '22 draft, and that became Ohio State wideout Garrett Wilson, the recently re-signed and highly productive WR1 for the last four seasons. One measure of Sauce Gardner’s excellence as an NFL cornerback is we’re all entirely past the need to use his given name. It’s Ahmad, if you’ve forgotten. And we could do away with his family name, as well, and you’d still be able to identify the subject of this discussion. Sauce was traded Tuesday to the Colts, hours before the league deadline, for two first-round picks and wide receiver Adonai Mitchell. It’s a significant addition to an Indianapolis team that suddenly has developed Super Bowl aspirations, but more so it’s another reminder the Jets will find a way to foul up even the simplest of...

You’ve got a player like Sauce, you keep him. You say nice things about him, sign him to a contract that offers a bunch of money and as much security as tenable. Then you try to find more players to fill the other roster spots worthy of sharing the field with him. Instead, the Jets will sell their surprisingly loyal fans on the idea that two first-round picks offer a greater chance at a boundless future. Mitchell was a second-round pick in 2024 but couldn’t crack the Colts’ lineup and has only 32 receptions in two years. The Jets went ahead and did this sort of thing again before even two hours passed by trading defensive lineman Quinnen Williams, a three-time Pro Bowler and one of the the elite run defenders...

The closest thing to justification for this one is Williams is 28, but Pittsburgh’s Cam Heyward made all seven of his Pro Bowls since reaching that age. In a surprising turn of events, the New York Jets have made headlines by trading star defensive lineman Quinnen Williams shortly after moving standout cornerback Sauce Gardner. This unexpected decision raises questions about the team's future direction and its implications for both players and the franchise. The Jets' decision to trade Quinnen Williams comes amid a broader strategy to reshape their roster. Williams, a former third overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, has been a cornerstone of the Jets' defensive line. However, the recent trade of Sauce Gardner, the 2022 Defensive Rookie of the Year, signifies a shift in the Jets' defensive philosophy.

Both players were instrumental in the Jets' defensive schemes, and their trades could indicate a complete overhaul in how the team intends to approach the upcoming seasons. For instance, the Jets might be looking to accumulate draft picks or younger talent to build for the future. Trading away two of their most talented defensive players raises concerns about the Jets' defensive capabilities moving forward. Williams was not only a leader on the field but also a player capable of disrupting opposing offenses. His presence will be missed, and the Jets will need to fill that void effectively. Fan reactions to the trades have been mixed, with many expressing disappointment at the loss of key players.

However, some fans are cautiously optimistic, believing that the Jets may be making moves that will ultimately benefit the team in the long run. The success of these trades will depend heavily on how well the Jets can utilize their acquired assets. At 1-7, it was easy to imagine the New York Jets parting ways with players at the NFL trade deadline. But it’s safe to say no one was ready for the absolute shockwave New York would send throughout the league. Two defensive cornerstones are gone, cornerback Sauce Gardner is an Indianapolis Colt, and Quinnen Williams is a Dallas Cowboy. A total of three first-round picks and a second-round pick are coming back to the Jets, along with defensive tackle Mazi Smith and wide receiver Adonai Mitchell.

Did general manager Darren Mougey get value with his blockbuster deadline deals?

Jets Trade Away Sauce Gardner Quinnen Williams Analyzing The Moves

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