The Indianapolis Colts have acquired cornerback Sauce Gardner from the New York Jets in exchange for two future first-round draft picks, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The trade follows Gardner’s recent four-year, $120.4 million contract extension with the Jets.
Gardner was drafted fourth overall by New York in the 2022 NFL Draft and earned recognition as the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year after his debut season. He became the first rookie cornerback since Ronnie Lott in 1981 to be named a first-team All-Pro.
This transaction is notable for the Atlanta Falcons, who are preparing to play the 7-2 Colts in Berlin, Germany. Gardner is considered one of the top young defensive backs in the league. Data from Next Gen Stats indicates that through the first four weeks of this season, Gardner stayed within one yard of his coverage assignment for a total of 90 seconds—the most among all NFL defenders during that span.
By Week 8, Gardner had covered receivers on at least half their routes in five out of seven games for New York. Heading into Week 10, he had not allowed more than two receptions to any single receiver per game and forced tight windows on 52% of his targets—the highest rate among players with at least 20 targets in coverage.
The last meeting between Falcons receivers and a secondary featuring Gardner occurred at MetLife Stadium in 2023 under rainy conditions. In that game, Atlanta defeated New York 13-8. Drake London was limited to one catch for eight yards while then-quarterback Desmond Ridder completed only twelve passes overall. Kyle Pitts led Falcons receivers with four catches for 51 yards.
During that matchup, Gardner lined up against nearly every Falcons pass catcher and spent much of his time covering receivers positioned wide right (the X role).
Recently, both London and Pitts have delivered strong performances: Pitts recorded nine catches on nine targets against Miami two weeks ago, while London posted 118 receiving yards and three touchdowns versus New England last week.
As both teams travel to Germany for Sunday’s game at Olympic Stadium, there is uncertainty about how much playing time Gardner will receive following his trade. However, it is expected that he will match up against Falcons receivers during some portion of the contest.
