The Jets pulled off a stunning trade on Tuesday, shipping out two-time All-Pro cornerback Sauce Gardner to the Colts in exchange for two first-round picks and wide receiver AD Mitchell.
A source confirmed the trade to The Post, made just hours before the 4 p.m. trading deadline. And that came shortly before they traded Quinnen Williams to the Cowboys.
The move was a shocker. The Jets just signed Gardner to a four-year, $120.4 million contract extension in July, which seemed to be a signal that he was viewed as part of the future under first-year coach Aaron Glenn and general manager Darren Mougey.
Just four months later, he is gone.
“New York it’s been real,” Gardner posted on X after the trade news broke.
The Jets received a first-round pick in 2026 and one in 2027, the source said.
The Jets drafted Gardner with the No. 4 overall pick in 2022 and he won Defensive Rookie of the Year. He was first-team All-Pro in 2022 and 2023 and viewed as one of the best cornerbacks in football. His play slipped in 2024, but the Jets still decided to give him a contract extension. He played in seven games this season, missing the last game with a concussion. If there is a knock on Gardner, it is that he only has three interceptions in his career.
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