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The biggest move of the 2025 NFL trade deadline day has occurred in Indianapolis. In an absolute shocker that will reshape the AFC playoff picture, the Indianapolis Colts have acquired two-time All-Pro cornerback Sauce Gardner from the New York Jets in a blockbuster deal.
The trade sends one of the league's premier defensive talents from the struggling 1‑7 Jets to the AFC South-leading Colts, who are signaling an all-in push for a Super Bowl run. The price was steep: the Colts reportedly traded two future first-round draft picks in 2026 and 2027, along with wide receiver Adonai Mitchell, to New York to secure the 25-year-old superstar corner.
This is a stunning about-face for the Jets, who just four months ago made Gardner the highest-paid cornerback in NFL history with a four-year, $120.4 million extension. The move indicates a massive organizational shift toward a full rebuild in New York, while the 7‑2 Colts are betting that adding an elite, lockdown defender will be the difference-maker needed to navigate the AFC gauntlet and claim their first Lombardi Trophy since 2006.
Here's more on Gardner's contract details moving forward.
MORE: Sauce Gardner was as stunned as everyone else over trade to Colts
Sauce Gardner trade details
To secure the services of the 25-year-old lockdown defender, the Colts gave up a significant haul of draft capital and a young offensive asset. The full trade package sent from Indianapolis to New York included:
- Two future first-round draft picks: The Colts' first-round selections in the 2026 and 2027 NFL Drafts.
- Wide receiver Adonai Mitchell
Mitchell was drafted by the Colts in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft. At the time of the trade, he had played in eight games for the Colts during the 2025 season. While showing flashes of his potential -- including a 75-yard play where he fumbled before going into the end zone -- his overall production was limited behind the Colts' top receiving targets.
MORE: Sauce Gardner's true feelings on stunning trade to Colts
Sauce Gardner contract details
The Colts are inheriting a massive, yet surprisingly cap-friendly, long-term deal that the New York Jets structured just months before the trade.
Gardner signed a record-breaking contract extension worth $120.4 million total, with over $80 million guaranteed, with the Jets on July 22, 2025. This deal made him the highest-paid cornerback in NFL history at the time.
For the Colts, the contract was structured to keep his initial cap hits low, as the extension essentially starts after his existing rookie deal and fifth-year option are completed (2025 and 2026, respectively).
The Colts get Sauce Gardner at the league minimum for the rest of the season, then ...
• $25.5 million in 2026
• $24.95 million in 2027
• $20.2 million in 2028
... Because they're inheriting a deal done two years early, the numbers are VERY reasonable for a top corner.
Gardner, who has won multiple All-Pros only four years into his NFL career, will be with the Colts for a non-steep price.
MORE: Grading the Sauce Gardner trade
Sauce Gardner career earnings
Gardner has earned over $43 million in his NFL career, per Spotrac.
The extension that he signed with New York in the offseason, where he will earn $30.1 million annually, does not kick in until after the 2025 NFL season.
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