Colts aim to keep unexpected season going with Sauce Gardner trade

Gardner — 2022 Defensive Rookie of the Year — has been one of the better corners in the league at some points in his career. Per Pro Football Focus, he allowed just three touchdown catches in his first three seasons with New York.

This season, however, his play has dipped. PFF gave him a career-low 68.7 coverage grade in seven games with the Jets. That mark is still above the league average. But after signing a four-year, $120.4M extension this offseason, the DB should be posting better numbers. This raises questions about whether he's declining. 

"[Gardner] needs a bounce-back year in 2025," a veteran AFC personnel staffer told ESPN's Jeremy Fowler in July. "Lots of missed tackles and penalties and didn't make many plays last year. Too much, too soon, and thought the NFL was easy." 

Gardner may have been growing frustrated playing for a perennial loser. Count on the Jets missing the playoffs for a 15th consecutive season after a 1-7 start. Playing for Indianapolis (7-2), which would have the No. 1 seed in the AFC if the playoffs started Tuesday, may reinvigorate Gardner. That would help the Colts keep rolling.