Jets GM addresses 'teardown' takes after Sauce Gardner, Quinnen Williams trades

The New York Jets shocked the NFL community when they agreed to trade star cornerback Ahmad "Sauce" Gardner to the Indianapolis Colts in exchange for two first-round draft picks and out-of-favor wide receiver Adonai "AD" Mitchell ahead of Tuesday's trade deadline. 

Jets general manager Darren Mougey wasn't done, as he later sent disgruntled defensive tackle Quinnen Williams to the Dallas Cowboys for the Cowboys' first-round pick in 2027, a second-round pick in 2026 and defensive tackle Mazi Smith.

Fair or not, the perception exists that Mougey punted on the remainder of the ongoing campaign ahead of Thanksgiving with 2027 and beyond in mind. Following the trade deadline, he addressed such takes. 

Darren Mougey insists Jets won't quit on rest of 2025 season

"I wouldn't call it a teardown," Mougey said about the transactions he completed on Tuesday, per Rich Cimini of ESPN. "The goal is always to win. Look, these coaches and players work too hard every day, all day, with the goal of winning on Sunday. And that never changes because that's what the fans deserve. That's what the players deserve, that's what the coaches deserve, and that never changes."

As of Wednesday morning, ESPN BET had the 1-7 Jets as 2.5-point home underdogs for this coming Sunday's game versus the lowly Cleveland Browns (2-6). Such a line suggests insiders assume the Jets will mostly be afterthoughts on NFL Sundays through Week 18. 

Williams had been the subject of trade rumors throughout the fall, and a Tuesday report detailed how his relationship with the Jets deteriorated before he received his desired fresh start elsewhere. However, the Gardner trade came out of nowhere in the eyes of outsiders. 

For a piece published Wednesday, Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic noted that the Gardner move showed no Jets player "is untouchable" amid what undeniably is a franchise reset. 

"Indianapolis kept getting richer and richer with their value, and eventually it was too good to pass up," Mougey said about sending Gardner to the Colts. 

Why didn't Jets trade Breece Hall?

Jets running back Breece Hall is in the final season of his contract and was viewed as a tradable asset before the club parted ways with Gardner and Williams. Understandably, some were surprised that Mougey didn't take whatever he could get for Hall on Tuesday afternoon, as the Jets probably won't be part of playoff conversations before the 2027 season at the earliest. 

"Through these processes, we talk about a lot of things and we field a lot of calls and we've got values, and Breece is a talented player," Mougey said about the Jets holding onto Hall. "He's going to help us compete and win games the rest of the season."

Perhaps Mougey wants Hall to earn a second contract or the franchise-tag designation with his play over the next couple of months. Either way, Mougey declared with his actions on Tuesday that winning games for "the rest of the season" is no longer his top objective regarding the overall state of the Jets.