Taking stock in the Sauce Gardner & Quinnen Williams blockbuster trades 1 year later

November 4, 2025, is a critical day in New York Jets history. Darren Mougey and the Jets decided to take a hard-sell approach and trade two of their best players, Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams, after a 1-7 start.

It was a decisive change of direction, a tough call to make at the time, but a move that has set them up well for their future. The Jets turned two players into three first-round picks, a second-round pick, Adonai Mitchell, and Mazi Smith.

One year later, how have the blockbuster deals worked out for the Jets, the Indianapolis Colts, and the Dallas Cowboys?

New York Jets very clearly fleeced the Indianapolis Colts

Starting with the Gardner trade, a lot has changed for both the Jets and the Colts since this deal went down. The Colts were 7-2 when they decided to go all in on Daniel Jones and company by trading a first-rounder in 2026, a first-rounder in 2027, and Mitchell to the Jets.

The Colts would win just one more game in 2025. After improving to 8-2, Indy lost seven straight games to finish their season 8-9. The 2026 pick turned into Kenyon Sadiq, with the 16th overall selection.

This year, the Colts are just 2-6, and if the season ended today, they would hold the fourth pick in the 2027 NFL Draft. This is a team that has sold off Quenton Nelson and DeForest Buckner already and may have more to give away before the deadline on November 10. That pick has a real shot at finishing top five for the Jets.

Meanwhile, Gardner is having the worst year of his career. Through seven games played, he's on the hook for a touchdown, 205 yards, and a career-high 103.1 passer rating when targeted. This is not the same player that we saw in his first four years in the NFL.

Adonai Mitchell is just the cherry on top for the New York Jets

One of the most underrated parts of this trade is the Mitchell angle. He was essentially a throw-in, as the two first-round picks were the real prize of the trade. His play has been anything but throw-in-worthy.

In 12 games with the Jets over the last two seasons, Mitchell has 40 catches for 566 yards and three touchdowns. That's nearly 100 more yards than he had in Indianapolis, where he appeared in more than double the games.

He's proving to be, at the very least, a reliable No. 3 receiver, if not a solid No. 2 option. With Garrett Wilson, Omar Cooper Jr., and Mitchell, the Jets are set up well at the position for years to come.

New York Jets stockpile of assets makes them an attractive destination

It's extremely likely that the Jets will be searching for a new head coach in 2027. One of the biggest recruiting tools will be the draft capital that the Jets have in the 2027 NFL Draft. Set up with three first-round picks, all three currently sitting in the top 10, there is a lot to play with for the next coach.

Yes, this is a team that still needs a quarterback, and there is always the Woody Johnson impact lurking; however, you can argue that with the pieces they got in these two trades, they have the pieces in place on offense to put a young quarterback in an advantageous situation. When could you ever say that about this franchise?

Future looks bright for the New York Jets

Yes, in the short term, it stings because the Jets have only won four games since these trades were made a year ago, and they miss the impacts of Gardner and Williams on their defense.

However, you can argue that this is the best that they've been set up for in a while. With the ammunition they have, they can trade up for a quarterback if they have to; they can let the board fall to them and add to this defense through the draft, etc.

There are multiple ways that they can go about this offseason, and the rare situation that they are in is because one year ago today, the Jets made a tough call to trade away two fan favorites for the betterment of the future.

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