Why Sauce Gardner trade to Colts wasn’t huge Jets money blow

The Jets made one of the biggest trades of the day at the NFL trade deadline, shipping cornerback Sauce Gardner to the Colts only months after he signed a four-year, $120.4 million contract extension. 

However, the Jets are the ones who come away from Tuesday’s trade on the winning side financially. 

The extension the Jets signed Gardner to carried a $13.75 million signing bonus and only a $1.25 million salary this season, with the Colts now picking up the priciest parts of the contract in 2026.

Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer reported that Gardner will be making $25.5 million in 2026, $24.95 million in 2027 and $20.2 million in 2028.

Pro Football Talk reported that since the trade occurred after June 1, there’s no additional cap hit, and next year, there will only be a $2.75 million allocation and  $8.25 million in acceleration. 

The Jets received two first-round picks and receiver AD Mitchell as part of the trade for their the fourth overall pick from the 2020 draft.

There had not been any rumblings that Gardner was on the trading block and his agent, who is also his brother, Allante Gardner, told ESPN that there had been no inkling of it before the trade. 

In a post on X, Gardner simply wrote, “New York it’s been real” in a reaction to the news. 

The deal came with the Jets just 1-7 this season. 

Indianapolis has been one of the best teams in the NFL this year and general manager Chris Ballard called the chance to acquire Gardner “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,” he said in a statement. “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.”