Sauce Gardner’s Honest Take on Being Traded to Colts

Gardner spent his first three-and-a-half seasons with the Jets, who drafted him with the fourth-overall pick in 2022. Over the course of Gardner's early career, the Jets had only won 17 games.

Gardner woke up on Wednesday morning with six more wins under his belt this season. The Colts are making a push for the Super Bowl, and the corner feels it's a "great situation" for him.

"I mean, it was a great situation for me," Gardner said. "... I just got a call from (Darren) Mougey, the GM for the Jets. 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'... So, when he told me the Colts... it was like this was a great situation."

"And my favorite color is blue. So, it just worked out perfectly," Gardner joked.

Gardner joins the Colts' secondary after they've dealt with multiple injury issues and even a retirement. Lou Anarumo's group has put in the effort, but there have been moments when they've looked shaky.

Still, Gardner doesn't see himself as the "missing piece", but rather a valuable addition.

"I'm not going to say [I'm] like a missing piece," Gardner said. "I don't know how it was already here, but I know cornerback is a hard position. So, I'm not looking at it as I was the missing piece. I think I'm a great additional piece to the defense for sure. I know I'm going to bring a lot to the table and things like that. So, I'm looking forward to it for sure.”

When Tuesday's news broke, it caught practically every NFL fan off guard. Gardner insists he never requested a trade because, at the end of the day, he just wants to play football on Sundays.

Sauce was asked how crazy the last 48 hours have been for him, and he kept it real.

"I've barely slept," Gardner said. "I'm looking forward to this flight [to Germany]. I'm looking forward to this flight because it's every single minute that I've had being here in Indianapolis, I'm doing something. Something, whether it's with the trainers, whether it's filling out paperwork, whether it's practice, watching film... this has been the craziest 48 hours of my life. But I don't take it for granted. It's truly a blessing."

Hopefully, the Colts' new starting corner can get enough rest to feel ready to go by Sunday. The Colts will face the Atlanta Falcons in Berlin, Germany, at 9:30 a.m. ET on Sunday.