Two-time first-team All-Pro corner traded from the Jets to the Colts for two first-round picks in November 2025.
Sauce Gardner started 2025 as the highest-paid cornerback in the NFL on the Jets, having signed an extension less than four months earlier. He ended it on the Colts. New York shipped him to Indianapolis at the November trade deadline for two first-round picks (2026 and 2027) and wide receiver Adonai Mitchell, one of the most aggressive deadline moves of the modern era.
Path to the league
Cincinnati Bearcat who never allowed a touchdown in three college seasons. Jets took him fourth overall in 2022. Won Defensive Rookie of the Year. Made first-team All-Pro in both of his first two seasons, the only cornerback since the 1970 merger to do that.
Career highlights
2022 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year. 2x first-team All-Pro (2022, 2023). 2x Pro Bowler. 3 career interceptions, 46 passes defensed, 1 sack and 201 tackles across 55 career games. Highest-paid cornerback in football at the time of his July 2025 Jets extension.
2025 season recap
Played the first nine games for the Jets before the deadline trade. Allowed a passer rating of 73.4 in coverage during his Jets stint, his lowest mark since his rookie year. Played the final eight regular-season games for Indianapolis and helped the Colts make a Wild Card run. Reunited with college teammate Alec Pierce on the Colts roster.
What to watch in 2026
Gardner enters his first full year as a Colt. Indianapolis built its 2026 defensive plan around him as the No. 1 outside corner alongside Kenny Moore in the slot. The Colts opened at +4500 to win Super Bowl LXI. Gardner's individual ceiling (top-three corner in football) hasn't moved. The team ceiling around him is the question.
Sources
- NFL.com: Jets trade Sauce Gardner to Colts
- Colts: Sauce Gardner trade announcement
- ESPN: Jets-Colts Gardner trade
Statistics
2025 season and career2025 Season · Defense
7 games played▶Defense · career
| Year | Team | GP | TOT | SOLO | SACK | INT | FF | FR | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | jets | 7 | 20 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| 2025 | colts | 4 | 16 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 2025 | 2025 Totals | 11 | 36 | 28 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
| 2024 | jets | 15 | 49 | 36 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
| 2023 | jets | 16 | 57 | 41 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 12 |
| 2022 | jets | 17 | 75 | 51 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 20 |
Player Profile
Background
- Position
- Cornerback
- Group
- defense
- College
- Cincinnati
- Hometown
- Detroit, MI, USA
- Age
- 24
- Status
- active
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