Jets Shock NFL wiht Trade of Star Cornerback Sauce Gardner to Colts
FLORHAM PARK,โค N.J.- In a stunning move that reverberated through the NFL,โค the New โคYork Jets have traded star โcornerback Sauceโค Gardner to the Indianapolisโ Colts. Theโค Jets โฃreceived wide receiver Alec Pierce andโ a 2025 second-round โฃdraft pickโฃ in โthe deal, sources confirmed today.โ
The trade marks a โคdramatic shift forโค the Jets’ secondary, just two years after selecting Gardner with theโฃ No. 4 overall pick in โฃthe 2022โ NFL Draft. While Gardner quickly established himself asโฃ one of the league’s premier cover โcorners, earning Defensive Rookie of the Year honors andโค consecutive โคFirst-Team All-Pro selections in 2022 and โค2023, his performance dipped in the 2024 season. The Jets, despite this, had recentlyโ extended Gardner’s contract,โ making the trade all theโ more unexpected. โคThis move signals a potential โrebuild forโ the Jets’ defense and a clear effort to bolsterโฃ their receiving corps.
Gardner appeared โขin seven games this season before being sidelined โฃwith a concussion.Throughout โฃhis โcareer, he recorded only three interceptions.โ The Colts, โmeanwhile, are acquiring a player who, despite a recent downturn, possesses โelite potential and will immediately become a cornerstone of theirโ defense.
Indianapolis also sent a 2024 sixth-round pick to โNew York to complete โthe trade. The Jets will now rely on Brandon Stephens and rookie Azareye’h Thomas โฃas their starting cornerbacks.
The Colts selected wide receiver Alec Pierce in the second โround of the 2024 draft. โขpierce has nine receptions for 152 yardsโ this season and is expected โto see increased playingโ timeโฃ with theโฃ Jets, addressing a critical need at the receiver โคposition.