If you felt like that was the craziest New York Jets trade deadline you have ever seen, you’d be correct.
ESPN’s Rich Cimini shared on social media, “You might say this day was historic for the Jets, who became the first team in the common-draft era (since 1967) to make multiple in-season trades to acquire a first-round pick, per ESPN Research.”
Those two trades shook the very bedrock of the National Football League.
The Jets traded away two-time first-team All-Pro cornerback Sauce Gardner to the Indianapolis Colts. In exchange, they received a 2026 first-rounder, a 2027 first-rounder, and young wide receiver Adonai Mitchell.
A few hours later, they shipped off former first-team All-Pro Quinnen Williams to the Dallas Cowboys. In that deal, they received a 2026 second-round draft choice, a 2027 first-round draft choice (whatever the best pick is between the Cowboys and the Green Bay Packers), and defensive tackle Mazi Smith.
Massive Cap Savings Are Coming to the Jets
In 2023, the Jets made Williams the highest-paid player in franchise history in total value and average per year with his $96 million extension.
Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic revealed that, “the Jets wound up paying him $40.3 million for 24 games on the new deal, per Over the Cap.”
Over the summer, the Jets made Gardner the second-highest-paid player in franchise history to the tune of a four-year $120.4 million extension. That was the largest contract ever for a corner in NFL history.
The former Cincinnati product never played a game under that extension. It wouldn’t have gone into effect until 2026, per Rosenblatt.
Now the Jets are left with some dead cap to deal with.
“Williams will leave the Jets with $13.24 million in dead money in 2026 and $9.8 million in 2027 — that’s essentially money already paid that they can’t get back,” Rosenblatt explained.
For Gardner, they “will carry $8.75 million in dead cap this year and $11 million next year,” Rosenblatt wrote.
According to Over The Cap, the Jets have $100.10 million in dead money. That is the third-largest total of any team in the NFL in 2025, only behind the San Francisco 49ers ($101.12 million) and the New Orleans Saints ($101 million).
Next season, the Jets have another $71.24 million in dead money to deal with. That is the most in the NFL for 2026, per Over The Cap.
It isn’t all bad for the Jets; they will get some massive cap relief.
The green and white will save $18.1 million in cap space from moving off Williams and Gardner in 2026. In 2027, the Jets will save an additional $23.7 million, per Rosenblatt.
Jets Take Some Cheap Dart Throws at Positions of Need
Gang Green is armed with five future first-round draft choices over the next two years. However, that won’t help them for the rest of 2025.
In all of the trades the Jets executed over the last two weeks, they added young players with cheap team control.
“As for the players they traded for, defensive tackle Mazi Smith brings a $978,000 salary in 2025 and $2.56 million in 2026; wide receiver Adonai Mitchell is making $1.13 million in 2025 then $1.46 million in 2026 and $1.8 million in 2027; wide receiver John Metchie is making $1.8 million in the last year of his deal; and cornerback Ja’Sir Taylor is making $1.1 million,” Rosenblatt revealed.
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