Tuesday’s NFL trade deadline involved some serious fireworks, as the Jets traded away star cornerback Sauce Gardner to the Colts in exchange for two first-round picks.
It was a shocking blockbuster that nobody saw coming. New York is in rebuilding mode and needs those picks but Gardner was far and away the team’s most talented defensive player; more than that Gardner appears likely to rank among the league’s top cornerbacks for years to come. The fourth pick in the 2022 NFL draft, Gardner won the Defensive Rookie of the Year award and a first-team All-Pro selection upon joining the Jets. He followed that up with a great 2023 that earned another All-Pro nod. Last season proved to be a setback for the star corner but the franchise was unperturbed and handed him a massive $120 million extension over the offseason.
