Were Jets thinking about trading Sauce Gardner when they signed him to extension?

A regime that wasn't running the New York Jets when the club made cornerback Ahmad "Sauce" Gardner the fourth overall pick of the 2022 NFL Draft signed Gardner to a four-year, $120.4M contract extension this past offseason. 

That same regime then pulled off a trade-deadline-day stunner when it agreed to send Gardner to the Indianapolis Colts in exchange for two first-round draft choices and out-of-favor wide receiver Adonai "AD" Mitchell. 

During an on-air NFL Network segment, league insider Tom Pelissero explained how the Jets were able to trade Gardner so soon after they locked him down via a massive extension. 

How were Jets able to trade Sauce Gardner so soon after signing him?

"The way that Sauce Gardner's contract was structured," Pelissero pointed out, "he got a signing bonus of around $13M. ...Because it was only about $13M, that means there was only $10M in cap hits in the future. A $20M option bonus is due in 2026. The Colts now inherit that option bonus. So, for the Jets, they actually save not just cash, but they save cap space going into the future."

In short, it sounds like Jets general manager Darren Mougey understood back in July that he could receive a so-called "'Godfather' offer" for Gardner's services before the Nov. 4 trade deadline. 

The Jets dropped their first seven games under first-year head coach Aaron Glenn before they notched an upset 39-38 win over the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 8. As for the Colts, they are 7-2 and seemingly view Gardner as a player who could help them compete for a Super Bowl title as soon as this coming winter.