The New York Jets pulled off one of the most stunning trades in NFL history at the deadline last year.
Sauce Gardner was flipped months after signing a record-breaking extension. In return, the Indianapolis Colts delivered a pair of first-round picks and wide receiver Adonai Mitchell to the Jets.
“Sauce lost the sauce,” an anonymous NFL offensive coach told ESPN Insider Jeremy Fowler. “Now, he got traded for a reason — he’s a long strider and has the confidence to overshadow his weaknesses. He can press and play Cover 2. But he’s not going to tackle all the time, he’s not going to crack replace, and when playing zone, sometimes he’s not playing it correctly. It’s just hard for him to hold up over the course of the game.”
It had become painfully clear that the Jets at 0-7 were shifting into rebuild mode. While the Colts, at 7-2, were going all in on what they hoped would be a championship run.
The Jets traded Gardner at his peak value to a desperate team that thought he was the missing piece.
The Jets’ defense was terrible with Gardner through the first seven games of last season. They could be terrible without him.
The Contract Didn’t Justify the Player
Gardner is set to account for 3.15% of the Colts’ cap in 2026. That is manageable, but he is under contract through the 2030 season. Each year, he accounts for a higher percentage of the Colts’ overall cap:
- 2026: $9.5 million cap hit (3.15% of the cap)
- 2027: $20.9 million cap hit (6.49% of the cap)
- 2028: $26.2 million cap hit (7.38% of the cap)
- 2029: $36.1 million cap hit (9.63% of the cap)
- 2030: $36.1 million cap hit (9.08% of the cap)
To represent that large a chunk of the cap, Garder has to be a game-changing player.
“His turnover production is poor — only three interceptions in four NFL seasons — and several evaluators have pointed out he misses tackles and holds too much,” ESPN NFL Insider Jeremy Fowler wrote.
“Not many move like him,” an anonymous NFL personnel evaluator told Fowler. “He moves like a much smaller man. But he’s not making plays at the same rate he was.”
Jets Need to Solve the Formula
The green and white didn’t create enough turnovers. Last year, they went an entire season without registering an interception.
“The elephant in the room,” Jets starting cornerback Brandon Stephens described it to ESPN’s Rich Cimini.
Garder didn’t do much to help when he was around. The Jets’ next task is finding players who can aid in those efforts.
“It’s hard to believe it could happen, but it happened,” Stephens said via Cimini. “I think all the guys are taking that personally because it’s part of our name. How do we want to rewrite the story after that?”
The Jets’ cornerback room is interesting. They have an array of pieces from veterans to rookies, to one-year wonders, and everything in between.
The Jets’ offense has been historically bad for the last decade. Something that would help any offenses is being provided with short fields. If the defense can create turnovers, one hand can feed another.
Gardner was a special player, which made the idea of trading him difficult. However, he didn’t make enough plays, and now the Jets’ job is to find players with those new resources who can.
Jets Hit Eject Button at Right Time on Sauce Gardner