Sauce Gardner Wants To Stay With Colts

Thanks in part to a rash of injuries, including to Gardner, the Colts went in the tank after last year’s deadline. They were 7-2 when they acquired Gardner, but the wheels came off during a 1-7 finish. The Colts posted an 8-9 record for the second straight season and missed the playoffs for the fifth year in a row.

Despite the collapse, Colts owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon retained general manager Chris Ballard and head coach Shane Steichen. However, Irsay-Gordon made it clear that she needed to see improvement in 2026. Indianapolis, which is off to an awful 2-5 start, has instead gotten worse. Ballard lost his job after a loss to the bottom-feeding Titans in Week 6, and assistant GM Ed Dodds is now leading the front office on an interim basis.

With the Nov. 10 deadline approaching, Dodds is overseeing a fire sale. He has already traded two cornerstones in guard Quenton Nelson (Seahawks) and defensive tackle DeForest Buckner (49ers). Even running back Jonathan Taylor, the face of the franchise, could end up on the move in the next couple weeks. Gardner also may not be a lock to stick around, but the 25-year-old made it clear he wants to stay in Indianapolis.

“Oh yes, for sure,’’ Gardner said (via Mike Chappell of FOX59). “I embrace everything. I feel like I’m fit for a rebuild, anything. It don’t matter what it is.”

Gardner has done nothing but play for bad or rebuilding teams since the Jets took him fourth overall in the 2022 draft. He hasn’t suited up for a team that has even finished above .500, let alone made the postseason. The Colts obviously had designs on perennial contention when they swung the Gardner trade, but they have gone 3-12 since then and don’t appear likely to push for a playoff spot in the near future.

For his part, Gardner hasn’t justified the exorbitant and potentially crippling cost the Colts paid for him. He has gone without an interception in 10 games in their uniform and totaled five absences, including one this year, because of calf injuries. While the 6-foot-3, 190-pounder has broken up four passes and held opposing quarterbacks to a 54.3% completion rate as the nearest defender this year, e has also allowed 18.8 yards per catch and a 103.5 rating on 24 targets. Gardner is Pro Football Focus’ 54th-ranked corner out of 103 qualifiers.

Although Gardner hasn’t been a major difference maker in Indianapolis, it’s conceivable teams will call Dodds about his availability before the deadline. The Colts certainly wouldn’t get back what they gave up for Gardner, but he still has trade value. Regardless of whether the Colts keep or trade him, Gardner is under wraps through 2030 on the four-year, $120.4MM extension he signed with the Jets in July 2025.