Sauce Gardner said he was “running in circles in the house” when he found out the Jets traded him to the Colts before Tuesday’s 4 p.m. trade deadline.
During his first press conference in Indianapolis on Thursday, the two-time All-Pro cornerback explained why the deal “made sense” — and why the Colts were a good landing place for him.
“I didn’t even have time to process it all the way,” Gardner, 25, said. “I just knew that I was coming into a great situation so I was running in circles in the house. Because the first thing I’m thinking is, ‘I’m about to be back with my boy [wideout] Alec [Pierce].’”
Gardner and Pierce were teammates at the University of Cincinnati.
“[The Colts are] winning right now, so I just know what I can add,” Gardner said. “I was happy but at the same time I didn’t have no time to be like, ‘Dang I’m getting traded right now.’ It was all good vibes because at the end of the day who’s going to feel sorry? That’s part of the business.
“These last couple days I’ve been having to learn the playbook at a pace that I didn’t know I was capable of learning the playbook… I don’t want to say shocked was the word, because I know that what the Colts offered was something that was hard to pass up on, especially how it’s been over the years. It made sense.”
Indianapolis shipped two first-round picks and wide receiver AD Mitchell to the Jets for Gardner — whom New York selected fourth overall in the 2022 NFL Draft.
“It was a great situation for me. I was actually laying in bed with my girl, and I was just chilling [when I got the call],” Gardner said without naming anyone. “… Obviously, the trade deadline was coming up, so I was just like, ‘Please let it be my ideal situation. I don’t want to go to a losing team… or a team on the other side of the world.’”
Gardner was recently linked to rapper Ice Spice and model Brooklyn Nikole.
The Jets also sent three-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Quinnen Williams to the Cowboys in another blockbuster before Tuesday’s deadline.
They’re getting a 2026 second-rounder, a 2027 first-rounder and defensive tackle Mazi Smith from Dallas in the deal.
With a 1-7 record, the Jets’ fire sale signals a full rebuild under new coach Aaron Glenn and general manager Darren Mougey.
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Gardner, meanwhile, moves closer to his native Michigan and gets a fresh start with a Colts team that is 7-2 and tied with the Broncos and Patriots atop the AFC.
He was a full participant in Thursday’s practice after clearing the NFL’s concussion protocol.
Gardner should be available for the Colts’ clash with the Falcons (3-5) in Berlin on Sunday.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
