Sauce Gardner was traded from the New York Jets to the Indianapolis Colts in a blockbuster deal on Tuesday, November 4.
Gardner’s agent and brother, Allante Gardner, broke his silence on the massive move.
“I called Ahmad. He’s in great spirits. I told him this is a business decision, and he understands that. The Jets made a business decision. They couldn’t turn it down, and Ahmad deserves to be on a winning football team,” Allante Gardner said via ESPN’s Rich Cimini.
Jets Had a Loophole Built Into the Gardner Contract
“Why was Sauce Gardner ‘tradeable’ today? The Jets structured his offseason extension with a minimal signing bonus ($13.75M), backed up by future option bonuses in 2026/2027. Those options now transfer to the Colts, leaving behind just $19.75M of dead cap for the Jets to handle over this and next season,” the official Spotrac account posted on social media.
This offseason, the Jets made Gardner the highest-paid cornerback in NFL history. He inked a four-year $120.4 million contract.
Jets Make History With Gardner Trade, Says Insider
“The Jets have made each of the last two trades in which a defensive back was acquired for two first-round picks: Jamal Adams in July of 2021 [and] Sauce Gardner today,” ESPN’s Field Yates revealed on social media.
Colts Break Silence on Monumental Trade
NFL Insider Adam Caplan shared a statement from Colts general manager Chris Ballard on the acquisition of Sauce Gardner.
“Having the opportunity to acquire a talent player like Sauce Gardner was one we did not want to pass on. He was a player that we scouted heavily coming out of college, and there’s a reason he was the fourth overall pick. Sauce is a proven cornerback. His skill and competitive nature will elevate everyone’s play on the defensive unit. We’re thrilled he’s a Colt. On the same note, AD Mitchell is a great person and a great player. We believe he will have success in New York, and we wish him the best as he enters the next chapter of his career,” Ballard said.
Jets Get Cap Relief, Draft Picks, and Fully Commit to the Reset
The green and white are committing.
There is no question anymore whether this is a rebuild or something else. When you make the flurry of trades that the Jets have made, you have stated this is a rebuild.
Gang Green is now overflowing with draft picks, cap space, and young players. The key for this new regime of general manager Darren Mougey and head coach Aaron Glenn is actually hitting on those picks.
Draft picks are lottery tickets. If the green and white trusts their process, clearly they do, then this can be a massive win for the Jets.
However, we won’t truly know who won these trades until many years down the line. What walked out of that door is a lot of proven production.
What should be noted is that the Jets are in the midst of the longest playoff drought in their franchise’s history. 14 seasons and counting. Likely soon to be 15 seasons in a row. To put it bluntly, the Jets didn’t win with these players, and they can continue not to win with these players.
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